Bonds
by hiddenflame268
Summary: It's been two years since the team, Fantastic Five, has come together to fight against villains. With a wedding on the way, friendships put to the test, and new enemies appearing, how will the team members handle it? What happens when an old face appears?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! The awaited sequel is here! Here is the first chapter and I hope you all enjoy this very much! If you have anything to say, please don't hesitate to let me know at all! =) I hope this is just as good as the first one! Thanks for the support guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fantastic Four or any of the characters

* * *

**Bonds**

Darkness. Pure darkness inhabited the Earth, or was it Earth? The planet was as large as Earth, and the atmosphere structure was almost identical to the planet, but something was different; Something was astray.

'_Where am I?' _A woman in her early 20s stood in the darkness as she tried to find her way. She reached out, looking for something to guide her. _'What's going on?' _she asked herself as she took a careful step forward. Her eyes widened as a sudden flash blinded her, making her stumble back. She winced, shielding herself from the light. She waited a few moment as the light slowly began to fade. She looked between the cracks of her fingers and her eyes widened as she slowly let her hands fall to her side.

'_This is not home,' _she thought as she took a weak step back. She glanced around the planet and began to feel her heart beat quicken. _'What…What happened here?' _She looked around the destroyed planet, any sort of life completely erased. She covered her lips as she closed her eyes, strange emotions engulfing her. Sadness, fear, horror, hopelessness, these emotions were not her own, but someone or something else.

'…_Who is that?' _The woman raised a brow as she found herself staring at a shining figure in the distance. She took a few steps forward, hoping to get a better look. _'That is _not_ a person,' _she quickly decided as she stumbled back a few more steps. Her pupils dilated as she watched the figure begin to make its way towards her.

"_Lily." _

Her eyes widened as she stared at the thing walking towards her. She gaped as she examined it more closely. It wore no clothes, but he didn't need any. He shined because of the fact his skin was like metal. He had no hair and his face seemed blank.

'_H-How did it know my name?' _

"_Lily," _it repeated.

"Lily!" Said woman's eyes snapped as she quickly sat up and blinked, looking around. She sighed as she found herself sitting in a cab, the car stopped out in front of an airport.

"Did someone have a bad dream?" a playful voice joked. Lily rolled her eyes as she turned to the door of the backseat and glared at her best friend/teammate.

"None of your business, Johnny," she snapped as she climbed out of the car, nodding a thank you to the driver.

"Don't be like that, Lils," Johnny said as he grinned and wrapped an arm around the 24 year old's shoulders. She chuckled as she gave her friend a soft punch in the gut. He pretended to be in pain as Lily shook her head and grabbed her things from the trunk of the cab. She sighed and smiled at the airport.

"Good to know we're finally going home," she said as Johnny smirked and nodded his head.

"Agreed. I miss everyone."

"You mean your booty calls?"

"Is that what we're calling them now?"

"Come on, do I gotta baby-sit the both of you?" The two shared a smirk.

Lily smiled as the stone-like man stood as tall as a pillar, a smirk on his face.

"Alright, big guy." As Johnny and Ben began to walk ahead, Lily stopped, glancing up at the blue sky. She frowned as memories of her dream began to play over in her head.

"We're flying with or without you!" Snapping out of her thoughts, Lily looked over at Johnny as he stood by the doors, waiting for her, a playful smile on his face. The black haired woman chuckled and nodded.

_Chapter One: A New Adventure Begins_

"_Last night, the FAA was forced to round up all the aircrafts." _As the TV screen played the news in the rather busy airport, two viewers watched carefully, sharing concerned glances. _"In other news! The much anticipated wedding of a fantastic couple, Reed Richards and Susan Storm, will take place this Saturday!" _

The concern for the previous matter and disappeared.

'_I can't believe this,' _the blonde woman thought as she gave her soon-to-be-husband an astonished glance. Reed gave her a glance as he turned his attention to the article he had been reading. He rolled his eyes as he saw an ad on the corner of the page.

'_Scientist or celebrity? Scientist, of course.' _Reed frowned as he shook his head.

It sometimes baffled him. The media had come down to that? What happened when news talked about serious issues and informed the people about things that were important? Now it was all about what was entertaining and what people wanted to hear, which was clearly all about The Fantastic Five members. Mr. Fantastic was disappointed to say the least.

"Unbelievable," he started. "Bizarre anomalies occurring all over the world," he said as he closed the newspaper. "And all the media wants to know is what china pattern we picked out."

"Hey, which one did you pick?" The engaged couple looked up at the sound of a curious, deep voice. "The blue ones with the little flowers? Cause I really liked them," Ben said with a grin on his face. Reed chuckled as he shook his head, Susan smiling weakly at her friend. Before Ben could engage himself into a conversation with the two, an older woman approached the rock man, a request in mind. Susan watched as the woman dragged Ben towards her son and frowned as the thoughts and worries she had pushed aside for their last mission came back to her.

"It's happening again, isn't it?" Reed raised a brow as he looked over at his beautiful fiancée. He shook his head as he saw the disappointed and defeated look on Sue's face.

"No," he stated firmly. "We're not postponing anything! Not this time," he assured as Sue stared at the ground, not sure whether to believe the man or not. "This is going to be the wedding you've always dreamed off, and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that," he said with a soft smile. "Not even the mysterious transformation of matter at the subatomic level."

Susan smiled as her heart filled up with happiness. She tried not to seem like a little girl as she leaned into Reed. "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me," she said quietly as she smiled more. Reed returned it with a loving expression as he slowly leaned in and kissed Sue's soft, awaiting lips. Before the moment could go any further, it was ruined.

"That's really pathetic, if you think about."

The two looked over at Sue's little brother as they rolled their eyes at the chuckling man. After enjoying his moment, he raised a brow, noticing he didn't get his usual scold from his _babysitter_. He looked over at the seat to his right and he stopped, a soft look in his eyes.

"Is she sleeping again?"

The Human Torch looked up at his older sister as she left Reed to deal with business with the airport. Sue frowned as the two Storm siblings watched Lily sleep.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" the blonde woman asked as Johnny thought for a moment. He shook his head as he glanced up at his worried sister, who sighed, turning her attention back to her fiancé.

To be quite frank, Johnny had no idea what was running through the woman's mind lately. For two years he had tried to keep up, and still, he had yet to understand what she was thinking. What made matters worse was the fact that, although he wasn't too sure, he was almost positive Lily was doing her best to avoid him. It was subtle, but that was to be expected from the woman. She was smart, after all.

Deciding to take things into his own hands, Johnny gently grabbed the woman by the shoulder, shaking her carefully.

"C'mon, princess, time to wake up," he said playfully as he shook her. Lily groaned as she shook her head. Johnny rolled his eyes as he chuckled to himself. "I forgot you sleep like Ben," he muttered. He raised a brow as he stopped his shaking, listening to Lily's soft voice.

"…Please..don't…" Johnny's eyes widened as Lily flinched. Panicking slightly, Johnny quickly grabbed her a bit more roughly, deciding to seriously wake her up.

"Lily, seriously, get up," he said sternly, finally getting Lily to respond. Her eyes snapped open as she blinked a few times, trying to get a hold of herself. Johnny sighed as he gave his friend a smile. "Thought you were gonna sleep forever," he said as Lily sat up and sighed. She rubbed her head as she looked over at Johnny.

"How long was I out for?"

"A good 20 minutes," he said as he noticed the troubled look on her face. Wanting to lift her spirits, the flame thrower smirk. "That's understandable. I'd like to stay asleep too if I was dreaming about me." That caught Lily's full attention. She snapped her head towards the comical man. She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"You are such a pig, do you know that?"

"If '_pig' _is another term for '_hot' _then yes, I do."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at that as she shook her head. She gave Johnny a smile as he smiled back and for a moment, they were locked in each others eyes.

That had been happening a lot. The two seemed to always share moments that they just couldn't bring themselves to break. They didn't know it, but both loved the way the others eyes sparkled in the gaze; as if nothing else existed.

"Hey, guys." The two quickly broke their staring contest as they faced Reed.

"Looks like we're flying coach."

* * *

'_I can't believe this..' _Lily frowned as she stared out the window of the plane. She glanced at the three random strangers in the middle and aisle seat. Turning her attention back to the fluffy looking clouds, she sighed, her mind tangled up in many different thoughts. '_I've had that dream for the past couple of weeks,' _Lily thought to herself as she leaned back in her seat. She glanced over at Ben and chuckled as she found him squished between a rather irritated woman, and a more docile man. She shook her head and yawned, looking over at Reed and Susan to see them comfortably next to each other. She smiled as she replayed the last two years in her head.

So many things had happened in that time, and it was hard to believe that Reed and Sue's wedding was already coming up. The five had made it so far together, it was crazy to think that just years before, they had been normal people, living their lives regularly.

"Wow.." Lily chuckled to herself as she looked out the window and something caught her eyes. She rolled them as she smirked, shaking her head. '_That idiot,' _she thought to herself as she stared out at the man on fire. He flew on his back as he enjoyed the day's perfect breeze. He closed his eyes, making sure to keep up with the plane, and sighed, feeling relaxed.

'_Sometimes I really wonder about you,' _Lily joked as her eyes softened and the playfulness inside of her disappeared. She frowned as she quickly averted her eyes from Johnny's form.

She had been acting strange. Although it was almost unnoticeable, but to those who knew Lily, she was. The one who had caught on first was Johnny himself, the person Lily had been acting strangely towards. Of course, the young man said nothing; at first he had thought it was just Lily's mood, but as time passed on, he began to realize that her "strange mood" was permanent. She had been going out of her way to talk to him as little as possible, and very little did they ever truly hang out anymore; something that use to be an everyday activity for them. How long had she been avoiding the man? Who knows, it was never really noticed until a few months ago. Though the two still had their quarrels ever so often and their witty banter continued, things seemed to be different.

'_It's ok, Lily. Once you calm down, you and Johnny will be perfectly fine,' _the one known as Tide said to herself. Glancing one last time out the window, her eyes widened as she found Johnny flying by her window. He smirked at her as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. He chuckled and winked at her as she smiled and laid her head back. Staring up at the ceiling of the plane, she closed her eyes.

* * *

"_The snowfall came with no warning and no temperature change. It covered the pyramids in two inches of snow!"_

The two scientists of The Fantastic Five sat in the lab, one listening to the report, the other typing rapidly on his palm pilot. As the raven haired woman listened to the newscaster, she raised a brow, punching in a few letters into the computer. As she read her information, she glanced at the time and sighed, standing up.

"Reed, you know if Sue finds out we've been working on this stuff on _your _wedding week, she's going to kill you," Lily warned as she pulled her thin rimmed glasses off her face. Reed glanced back at his daughter-like figure and smiled as he turned to face her.

"Don't worry, this won't get in the way of anything, I swear," Reed promised as he turned his attention back to his palm pilot; Lily rolled her eyes. She glanced through the clear doors of the entrance and chuckled.

"I shouldn't be the one you promise that to."

"Hey, honey?" Susan walked into the lab a she glanced over at Lily and smiled, the young woman nodding her head with a sweet look on her face.

"The city's trying to fine us for three squad cars we destroyed."

"I only remember two!" Lily stated as she walked out of the lab. Sue chuckled as she turned to her future husband and found him either listening and playing with his toy or playing with his toy and not listening to her. She frowned as her irritation level began to rise.

"Reed?" No answer.

"Alright, alright. I'm listening," Reed said with a playful smile on his face as he set his now invisible palm pilot on the table. He looked over at his frustrated fiancée and his eyes softened, the amounts of stress on Sue's back almost visible. "You were saying?"

"I have a fitting in a half an hour, the musician's after that." As The Invisible Woman began to name her list of things to do, the happy look on her face disappeared, a more nervous and anxious one appearing in it's place.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Reed said comfortingly. "I'm sure between the two of us, we'll get it all done."

"And, what exactly were you doing when I just walked in?"

"I was just inputting my to-do list."

"Really?" Sue asked suspiciously as Reed smiled, holding his right hand up.

"Scout's honor."

"Hey, guys." The two looked back at the entrance to the lab and watched as Johnny walked in, holding a strange version of the Fantastic Five uniform. "New uniforms just came in. What do you think?" he asked as he held it up. The dark navy and black colored uniform was covered in different labels of companies and brands, _not _very flattering to the look. Sue looked at the outfit with disgust in her eyes as she shook her head, walking past her brother.

"I think there's **no** way we're wearing that, Johnny," she stated as she exited the lab.

"What do you have against capitalism?" he shouted after her as he shook his head, tossing the uniform on the table. Turning his attention to Reed, he noticed a covered contraption in front of Reed's desk and raised a brow.

"What's this?" he asked curiously as Reed smiled, feeling proud of his work so far.

"It's a little _hobby_ of mine."

"Yeah? Would it make a good toy or is it something uh..." He thought for a moment. "Sciencey?" he asked as he looked over at Reed, who chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's a little bit of both," Mr. Fantastic said as he typed in a few last things into his pilot really quickly. Johnny watched, not knowing whether to be impressed or completely grossed out by the movement of his thumbs.

"Hey, Johnny," Reed started as he stood from his desk and walked over to the main control desk of the lab. "Keep this quiet," he said as he began to type a few things in the computer. "Lily and I crossed referenced and analyzed the global disturbances," he said as Johnny followed him and sat in the wheelie chair beside Reed's. "They were caused by cosmic radiation, unlike the one's that gave us our powers."

"Wow, that sounds_ really_ boring," Johnny said, not even bothering to pretend to be interested in anything Reed had been telling him.

"So, listen," Johnny began as he glanced around at the knick-knacks in the room. "I have a _very _important wedding issue I have to talk to you about."

"Yeah, of course."

Johnny smirked, trying to picture the face Reed was going to make. "Your bachelor party." It was a very funny face.

"No," Reed stated as he pushed himself to the other side of the round table. "Seriously, Johnny."

"John." Reed raised a brow as he looked over at Johnny, the boy leaning back in his chair. "Tests showed that Johnny skewed to sound a little young,"

Rolling his eyes, Reed ignored the comment, returning the conversation at hand. "Johnny, no bachelor party, it's not my kind of thing," Reed insisted as Johnny shook his head, not giving up. He pushed his way across the area and stopped right beside the man.

"Do it for Ben," he said as Reed shook his head, trying to zone everything the younger man was saying. "It means a lot to the big guy, you're gonna break his heart," Johnny said as a playful expression appeared on his face. "He's got some sort of rock-like heart, doesn't he?"

"I've got too much to do before the wedding," Reed reasoned as Johnny shook his head. He knew Reed needed the party, if not to have fun, just to relax, seeing as the man was always up and about 24/7.

"And frankly, Sue might have a problem with it."

'_I didn't want to have to do this to you, Reed.' _Johnny shook his head as he smirked, pulling out the big guns.

"You know what I think Sue would have a problem with?" Johnny asked as Reed hesitantly looked over at his younger teammate. "If somebody told her, that you were _actually_ investigating global disturbances and cosmic radiation instead of actually_ focusing_ on the wedding, like you promised." As the young man pretended to think everything he said over, he smirked in his head, knowing who had won the battle of this argument.

Reed shook his head as he rolled his chair next to Johnny's admitting defeat. He and Johnny stared at each other for a moment before the scientist shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "A bachelor party _could _be fun."

"Yes!"

"But **no** exotic dancers," Reed declared as Johnny shook his head, thinking for a moment. He held his hand out as Reed chuckled, shaking it with his own.

"Deal."

"Hey, Reed-" Lily walked into the lab as she held a folder of information in her hands. She looked up and raised a brow as she watched the two men shake hands. She thought for a moment before she rolled her eyes, walking up to the two.

"You actually let this idiot talk you into having a bachelor party?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Johnny said as Lily ignored him. Reed chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly.

"I guess I did, you're more than welcome to come," Reed offered as Johnny nodded his head.

"Why not, you should come to support dear old Reed before his big day," the torch said playfully as he gave Reed a pat on the back. Lily rolled her eyes as she smirked, setting the files on the table.

"Sorry, afraid I can't." That caught Johnny's attention.

He stood to his feet as he began to follow Lily, Reed watching with a small smile.

"Why not?" Johnny asked curiously as he walked alongside Lily. The black haired woman ignored the dirty blond as she looked back at Reed.

"That's the last of the information I came up with. I can try looking more up later," she offered as Reed shook his head with a smile.

"You've done more than enough," he said as she returned his smile and nodded her head. Turning to the man next to her, she gave Johnny a deadpanned expression as he stood in front of her, waiting for her answer. She sighed as she walked around him, knowing he would follow on his own.

"Seriously, you can't possibly already have plans."

"Actually, I do, you ass," she snapped as Johnny smirked. He always loved getting under her skin.

"What are you doing?"

Lily glanced up at Johnny and smirked as she walked into the elevator in the hall. Johnny followed along as he pressed the button to Lily's floor.

"You really want to know?"

"Why do you think I'm asking?" Johnny retorted back as Lily scoffed.

"I have a date."

"A date?"

"Yes, a date," Lily confirmed as Johnny thought for a moment.

"…Is it with that chump, Travis?" Lily frowned at that.

"He's not a chump," she snapped as Johnny shook his head. Turning to face his best friend, he gave Lily a wary look, Lily staring at him with a more unmoving expression.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked as Lily sighed with defeat. The elevator door opened as the black haired girl walked out, Johnny following with a determined gleam in his eyes.

"What is _so _bad about Travis?" she asked, deciding to humor her friend.

"For one, he's a total mooch."

"Oh, come on, Johnny, really?" Lily snapped as Johnny continued on.

"Second, he's a total loser."

"He is not!" the irritated woman defended as the two stopped in front of her bedroom.

"And third, he's a complete nobody."

"Not everyone can be as _amazing _and _famous_ as you, jackass," Lily snapped as Johnny sighed, shaking his head.

"Think about it," Johnny said as he wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders. She gave the fire controller a warning glance, but he ignored it, continuing with his explanation. "See it from my point of view."

"Do I really have to?"

"You see your best friend, who's smart, hilarious, and pretty damn hot." She rolled her eyes at that.

"And she decides to go for some guy who she barely knows."

"I've known him for two years almost!

"And has a horrible job."

"He works with the state!"

"And is poor off his ass."

"He makes more than _I_ do."

"It's obvious that he's just using you," Johnny stated. Lily closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose, counting to ten in her head. Taking a deep breath, she turned the door knob to her door and glared at Johnny.

"If you're done babbling, I'm going to go meditate and pretend we never had this conversation," she snapped as Johnny frowned.

"Lily-"

"No, Johnny," Lily snapped, Johnny realizing just how far he had pushed her buttons. "If you really think I can't get a guy who actually likes me for _me, _you're wrong," she snapped, the rage evident in her eyes.

"This wouldn't even be a problem if-" Lily's eyes widened as she stopped in the middle of her sentence. Johnny blinked as he watched Lily quickly turn away, avoiding his gaze. A frustrated look appeared on the young man's face. '_There she goes again.' _

"Just go away-"

"No," Johnny wasn't going to give up this time. Before Lily could slam her door shut, Johnny shoved his foot in the doorframe. "Not this time."

"Johnny, move your foot!" the angered woman snapped as Johnny did his best to try and open the door. Surprisingly, Lily's strength was pretty great.

"Go away!"

"No! You're not running away."

"Who says I'm running?" she snapped as Johnny rolled his eyes.

"What do you call this?" he asked plainly as Lily thought for a moment. She glared at the man as he frowned at her. Before he could process what was going on, Lily quickly shoved Johnny back, making him stumble a bit, and slammed her bedroom door shut. Lily sighed as she turned around and leaned back against her door.

"Lily! You're gonna have to talk to me about whatever's going on sooner or later."

"Why do you say that?" she snapped as she glanced at the door, Johnny standing on the other side.

"I may seem stupid, but I'm not," the other snapped slightly as Lily closed her eyes, frowning more. "Seriously, Lily," Johnny said as he placed his hands on the doorframe. He stared at the door, waiting for some sort of reply from the woman.

"..I'm fine, Johnny," Lily said with a sigh as she cracked the door open slightly. Johnny smiled slightly, happy he even got a reply back. Lily stared up at the dirty blond as he returned her gaze. "You're overreacting."

"I'm not," he argued as Lily shook her head with a smirk.

"Is little, baby Johnny getting all worked up?" she joked as the man rolled his eyes.

"Didn't I tell you? It's John."

"Since when?"

"Since the tests showed Johnny's a bit young."

"Seems to fit perfectly then," Lily said playfully as Johnny smirked. He sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms.

"Fine, you can date this guy."

"Like I was asking for your permission," Lily retorted back as Johnny smirked. He began to walk down the hall, but stopped as he looked back at Lily with a more sincere look on his face.

"…You know, you could do so much better," he said gently, throwing the black haired girl off guard. She stared at Johnny with a shocked face as he gave her a sincere smile. He held his hands up in the air as he gave her a chuckle. "But if you want to date the dude that bad, good luck to you," he said as he turned around walked down the hall, turning right around a corner. Lily stood with a awestruck look on her face, a small blush appearing. She covered her mouth as she frowned, shaking her head. She quickly went back into her room, slamming the door shut. She shook her head as she sat down, pulling her knees close.

"Why does he have to do that?" she asked herself as she squeezed her eyes shut, Johnny's voice echoing in her ears. "Why does he have to go and make me feel this way?"

* * *

As the world continued to spin, the humans inhabiting it continued on with their day and night. For the ignorant and unknowing, everything seemed completely fine, but something was about to change that.

In the sky hovering over the country, Latveria, a silver shadow flew through the air at an almost unthinkable speed. As it passed over a dark castle, something hidden inside began to stir, something that would come and make the lives of many tiring.

'_I can feel it, my energy, my strength,' _a man thought to himself as he slowly snapped his eyes open. He glanced around his metal cage and glared through the glass in front of his eyes.

'_Reed, this isn't over.' _


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Here is chapter 2! I hope you all enjoy this! I've been working hard! hahah =)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, the characters are not mine or Fantastic Four 2!

* * *

_Chapter Two: Buzz Kill_

"Well, aren't you dressed to impress?"

Lily span around, toward her bedroom door, and smiled as she faced Sue. The blonde smiled at her as she walked into the room, sitting on the woman's bed.

"You think this is ok?" Lily asked as Sue chuckled, nodding her head.

"You look great."

"I'm a little nervous," the former teacher said as she turned to face the full body length mirror she had hanging on her wall. Sue stood to her feet with a gentle look in her eyes as she placed both of her hands on Lily's shoulders.

"You have nothing to worry about," she assured as Lily nodded with a smile. She turned to face her old babysitter as she sighed.

"Are the guys out?"

"They just left," The Invisible Woman stated as she shook her head with a smile on her face. Lily chuckled as she and her companion walked out of her room.

"Does it bother you?" Lily asked curiously as Sue glanced at her and shook her head.

"No, I trust Reed completely."

"Not Reed, the fact that Johnny's going to try and corrupt him," Lily said as if it were a matter of fact. Sue laughed as she shook her head, smirking a bit.

"I'm not _too_ worried," she stated as she thought for a moment, "Johnny wouldn't."

"I wouldn't count him out!" Lily said teasingly as she winked at the older woman. The two walked out towards the lobby of the floor as Lily turned to the blonde. She smiled sweetly.

"Are you ready? You're going to be a married woman tomorrow," Lily said playfully as Sue thought before revealing a giddy grin. "And surprisingly, there haven't been any reasons to postpone!" the black haired woman said as Sue laughed, shaking her head.

"Thankfully," she replied back as she sighed. The two shared a moment of silence, the silence not awkward, but comforting. Lily smiled as she pulled Susan into a hug.

"Congratulations, Sue," she said softly as the blonde smiled, her arms hugging her friend just as tightly. The two separated, Lily making her way to the elevator. Hitting the button for the first floor, Lily waved a goodbye, Sue doing the same.

"Have fun on your date!"

"I will!" Lily replied with a smile. As the doors closed, her smile disappeared, her true emotions coming out.

"…Get a hold of yourself," the dark haired girl mumbled to herself. She shook her head as she stared at her reflection in the metal door.

She couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, the night was not going to turn out the way she would want it to. She didn't know exactly what, but she knew that it wasn't going to be a 'happily ever after,' sort of night.

"Great."

* * *

_Ka Chik_

The sound of a car door slamming shut filled the air as a man dressed in a dark green suit made his way towards a rather fine apartment building. On each side of him there were his trusted accomplices that followed faithfully. None paid attention to the others around them, and as they made their way inside the building, the other people standing around noticed the tension around them and the snobbish air they put off.

"Welcome to the Baxter-uh, could I help you?" the door man stuttered out as he watched the veterans make their way to the elevator. They said nothing, ignoring the curious eyes of others, and pressed the number to the floor they wanted. The doorman frowned before he picked up the phone, dialing the number in which he assumed was the target of the officials.

"Hello?"

* * *

"What will you be having tonight?"

"I'll have the salmon and she will have the…"

"I'll have the steak, please?"

"Ah, yes. Good choice," the waiter stated with a formal smile. He grabbed the menus from his customers and nodded his head, walking away from the table for two.

"Wow, Travis! This place is expensive, are you sure you can-"

"Trust me, it's fine."

Lily smiled as she shook her head, watching as her date smiled back. She watched as he began to talk, but none of the words seemed to go through her ears. She winced slightly as her head began to pound slightly. She cleared her throat and smiled, standing to her feet.

"Sorry, I have to run to the bathroom really quick," she explained as she gave the brunette a reassuring smile. He hesitated but nodded as he smiled back at her. As her black stilettos clicked against the marble floor, Lily closed an eye, her headache suddenly growing. _'What the hell?' _she thought to herself as she swung the ladies' room door open and stood over the sink. She took a deep breath and sighed, staring at her rather pale face in the reflection of the mirror.

"Everything's going to be just fine," the dark haired woman assured herself. She closed her eyes and stood tall, taking deep and even breaths.

A year and couple months before, Lily had decided to take on a hobby that wasn't too time consuming, yet it could still be something for her to do in her small amount of spare time. She wanted it to be something that would help her relax and come to her senses after a dangerous or strenuous mission. The answer she had found was meditation.

The woman stood in the empty bathroom, the tension in her body slowly disappearing and her headache becoming a none-issue. As she continued to meditate, Lily tilted her head a fraction to the side, a voice calling out to her.

'…_What are they saying?' _she asked herself curiously as she listened more intently. She raised a brow and shook her head as she tried to understand the muffled voice. The mutated voice moaned out, no actual words being said.

"_AAH!" _The shrill voice screamed suddenly, breaking Lily from her calm state as she jumped slightly. She glanced around the bathroom and leaned back against the wall, her heart beating at 100 miles per hour. She sighed, closing her eyes, and shook her head as she laughed at her foolishness.

"Get a hold of yourself, Lily!" she snapped as she shook her head and walked out of the bathroom.

"You alright?" Travis asked curiously as Lily nodded her head with a smile.

"Sorry about that," she excused as she smiled. "I'm feeling a bit tired."

"Weren't you sleeping before you came here?" her date teased. The dark haired woman laughed as she shook her head as she glared playfully.

"I'm over tired!"

"Ha ha, of course," the brunette retorted back with a smirk.

'_That's more like it,'_ Lily thought to herself, the flow of the date beginning to take a quicker pace. Things were less tense on her side, yet she still felt as though something was missing or out of place. Glancing at the time, her eyes softened.

'_I wonder how Reed's party's going.' _What she really wanted to know was what Johnny was doing at the very moment she was sitting with her date.

"..Is something bothering you?"

Lily looked up with a slightly surprised glance as Travis raised a brow, his defined face having a confused expression on it. Lily smiled as she shook her head and sighed. "Not at all."

"Here are you appetizers." The two looked up and watched as their waiter set a large basket of bread down before them, a small tray of butter sitting contently beside it. The two thanked the man and watched as he made his way back into the kitchen. Before the two could dig into their food, the sound of a cell phone ringing filled the air.

Lily shut her eyes, irritation slowly taking over the once relaxed mood that lingered in the air. The woman smiled weakly as Travis chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sorry," the heroine apologized as she stood, grabbing her cell phone. Walking outside of the restaurant, the woman raised a brow, surprised to see the number being displayed on the caller id.

"Sue? What's up?"

"_Sorry to bother you, do you remember where Johnny took Reed?" _

Lily's confusion grew at that. "Um, I don't remember the name. All I know is it's at Johnny's favorite bar."

"_Where is that?" _

"What's up, Sue?" Lily asked as she heard a sigh from the other end of the phone.

"_We have a guest who's looking for him," _Susan explained as she glanced over her shoulder to see General Hager glancing around the office with a slightly curious expression on his face, his two officers sitting quietly.

"Guests?" Lily inquired.

"_I'll explain later."_

"Well…" Glancing through the window, Lily's eyes softened as she watched Travis sit patiently by himself, their date quickly coming to an end. "I can take you guys there."

"_Is that alright? What about-"_

"It'll be fine," Lily assured her mother-like figure. She waited for the blonde's reply and smiled as she heard the woman sigh.

"_Ok."_

* * *

"When the universe began, it was no bigger than a marble!" Mr. Fantastic sat around a small table as he explained his theory of how the universe began. His audience was not so interested on the topic per say, more on the speaker himself. "And then, Bam!" Placing the tips of his fingers against each other, Reed used his stretching abilities to make his hands expand, showing the example of how the lives of human beings began. "It exploded! And in an a trillionth of a second, it expanded exponentially, and that's how the universe became what we know today,"

"Wow!" a brunette replied back, a very fascinated expression on her face. Whether it was genuine or not was unknown to the scientist sitting beside the three girls. "You're really smart."

"Why, thanks Candy, that means a lot to me," Reed replied back with a sincere look on his face. The woman smiled widely as he smiled back at her kindly.

The beat of the music began to change as the DJ began to play a new song that made everyone move with it.

"Oh! I love this song! Do you want to dance?" Reed's other companion asked. The man smiled sheepishly as he began to draw back into his shell.

"No, I don't."

"Aw, yes you do!"

"N-No! Really, I don't-" Without any chance of escape, the three women dragged the superhero out on the floor. He stood awkwardly, not sure of what to do with himself. His body stiffened as one of the ladies' danced against him.

"Just loosen up, have some fun!"

* * *

"Hit me."

"You got it, Johnny."

Said man smirked as he turned and glanced around at his successful bachelor party…or just party. He looked out at the dance floor and laughed as he watched Reed's dancing unfold before his eyes.

"Here you go."

The Human Torch nodded a thanks as he grabbed his drink, making his way towards his best friend.

"The guy sure knows how to loosen up!" he commented as he stood beside The Thing. Ben chuckled as he smirked and nodded his head.

"You got that right."

The two watched with curiosity as the man stretched in inhumanly ways, making them more interested and slightly sick. Johnny shook his head as he glanced around the room, a few ladies catching his eye. He inwardly frowned, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned his attention back to the rather entertaining Reed.

For some awful reason, the young man was losing his drive to find more "friends". He was not as motivated as he was just a year ago. What had happened? He still had the same charm and women still loved every bit of him. What was it about him that changed?

* * *

"This is the place?"

"Yup, I'm sure of it. If we don't find Johnny on the dance floor, he'll probably be with a crowd of girls," Lily said, her voiced raised over the music.

She and Sue had led the government officials to the nightclub Lily assumed would be the holding place for Reed's bachelor party. The two women looked around the club before a pair of blue eyes fell upon the scientist. They hardened slightly as a voice filled the air.

"There he is," the General said with a small smirk as Sue nodded her head, her eyes narrowing. Lily glanced at the woman as she bit her lip slightly. She watched as Reed continued to dance with the woman.

"Yes. Unfortunately," Sue stated as they continued to watch the man. "For him."

* * *

"Hey, one more handle, will you?"

"No problem, big guy." Ben smiled as he nodded his head to the beat, his companion's eyes scoping the area for potential dates. As his eyes fell upon a rather familiar patch of black hair, he raised a brow.

'_Huh, she's pretty ho-' _

"Is that Lily?" Johnny asked himself with a bewildered expression on his face. His eyes widened as he watched his sister step out from beside his friend. He quickly nudged the rock-like man as Ben looked at him with a confused expression. He nodded his head in his sister's direction and the two immediately turned.

"I think it might be clobbering time."

"You might be right."

The two stiffened as the familiar voice filled their ears. They slowly looked over their shoulders and smiled weakly as Lily stood before them, arms crossed.

"I see you decided to finally come to the party."

"Oh please," Lily rolled her eyes as she shook her head, glancing over her shoulder. She watched as Reed followed after an irritated Sue and a slightly amused General. She looked back at Ben and Johnny, who also watched the scene.

"Who's that guy?" Johnny asked as Ben frowned slightly.

"General Hager."

"You know him?" Both Lily and Johnny asked. The stone man nodded his head as he began to follow after Reed. The two youngsters of the group glanced at each other before quickly walking after Ben.

"Well," Johnny muttered as Lily glanced back at him. "Things just got interesting."

* * *

"I'm only here, Richards, because I'm under direct orders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Reed watched his acquaintance carefully as the man led the group into the kitchen of the nightclub. His two officials stood beside him as his male officer opened a briefcase.

"I personally don't like the idea of sharing information with a civilian scientist, especially one who enjoys the _public spotlight _so much," the General commented with a condescending tone to his voice. Reed kept his cool as he gave a dry smile.

"Always a pleasure to see you too, General."

The other four watched as the two began to talk. The conversation, a bit too mature and boring for Johnny's taste, caused the man to lose interest quickly. He glanced around the room before his eyes fell upon the blonde female officer following General Hager. He smirked slightly, deciding to try and enjoy himself at least a little. Turning his attention back to the conversation for a second, Johnny listened as the General began to explain the current situation.

"As you may know, there have been unusual occurrences all over the world. Officially, we've downplayed their significance to the public, but we're concerned that these…anomalies might pose a threat to our national security," Hager explained.

Johnny smirked a bit more as he watched his favorite officer take a step forward.

"These have been taken by one of our satellites two days ago," the blonde explained as she handed a few photos of what they had to Reed. The scientist examined them with great care, Sue looking beside him with the same curious and shocked expression.

"What is it?" Susan asked as Hager looked at Reed.

"We were hoping Doctor Richards could tell us," he stated as Reed examined the photos for a moment longer.

"..I'm afraid I've never seen anything like it," Reed stated honestly. "Ben?" He handed the man the photos, the bigger man taking a good look at what the government was so concerned about.

Johnny and Lily looked over the man's shoulder, trying to get a peek at what everyone was so curious about.

"Well, I would say that it's a meteor, but that trails all wrong," he explained. "This thing is giving off it's own energy."

"Take a look a this," Hager suggested as the officer slid the briefcase computer towards Reed. "These have been appearing in remote areas all over the world since the case started."

Reed's eyes widened as he stared at the screen. His eyes fell upon a giant crater in the Earth that was not man-made. "Field personal estimated the diameter to be 200 meters."

Reed raised a brow as he tried to think of a logical way to tie all of the strange events together.

"If we're going to figure out what's going on, we need a way to locate and intercept that object." As Hager began to discuss with Reed, the restless one of the group found an opportune moment gain someone's attention.

Johnny cleared his throat a bit more dramatically, catching the woman's attention with ease. She glanced over at the fire bender as he smirked at her. She gave him a skeptical expression as she went back to ignoring him, turning her attention back to the situation at hand. Johnny smirked as he chuckled in his head. '_Playing hard to get, I see,' _he thought to himself. Following the woman's actions, he turned his attention back to Reed and Hager with a tiny smirk on his face. '_We'll see how well that goes.'_

"It would be possible to build a sensor tied to a Baxter Building satellite." As Reed continued with his plan, Susan's expression began to fall, her heart dropping a few feet. She kept her groan to herself as she tried to gain her composure back.

"Good, so then, you'll build the sensor for us. We'll tie that-"

"I'm afraid I can't." Everyone stared at the scientist in silence, as if he _were _truly mad.

Taking a few steps back, Reed stood confidently beside Sue, who gave him the most stunned look, and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder. He smiled proudly as he glanced at the love of his wife.

"You see, I'm getting married this Saturday. I just don't have the time," he stated with ease. The other members of the team smiled as they watched everything play out before them.

"Richards," Hager started. "Your _country _needs you."

Reed took a deep breath through his nose as he gave a smile to the general. Wanting to at least have someone make up for his _lack of interest _in the strange anomaly, Mr. Fantastic thought for a moment, trying to remember the name of an old friend he had. "Why don't you talk to Professor Jeff Wagner." Before Reed even began to speak, Hager's lips curled up in a bitter smirk. He was less than impressed. "He's head of the physics department in Brown. I'm sure he can help you," Reed finished as Hager looked at his men; he was ready to wrap things up.

"I expected more from you, Richards," Hager started as he lectured Reed, sounding like a disappointed mother or father.

As the short lecture continued, Lily stared down at the briefcase and thought for a moment. As she did this, her eyes wandered towards her right and she rolled her eyes as she watched her best friend give playful smirks to Captain Raye. Her insides twisted slightly as she crossed her arms, trying to mask her feelings.

The General walked out, his men following, and Reed stayed silent as he kept his arm around Sue. The woman glanced up at him and her eyes softened as she watched him stare out at nothing for a long moment.

"Wow, I never thought the day would come."

The two looked over at Johnny, who laughed slightly, shaking his head. He walked up to Reed and pat the man on his back. Reed rolled his eyes but smiled as he shook his head. He looked over at Ben, but quickly averted his eyes, knowing the expression The Thing was giving him.

"I'm with Johnny on this," Lily stated as she approached the three and stood beside her younger teammate. "I've got to say, Reed, I'm proud of you," the former teacher said playfully as the scientist chuckled, shaking his head. He looked down at Sue and gave her a gentle smile as he turned his attention back to the others.

"A man has to do what a man has to do."

"Speaking of which, I'll be heading out now," Johnny stated as he began to head towards the kitchen exit. "I've got something I have to do myself," he said with a smirk as he pushed the doors open, not looking back. Lily stared at the doors for a moment before she quietly sighed. She smiled back at the two as she nodded her head.

"I should be heading out too."

"That's right! I'm sorry about your date," Sue said with a sympathetic expression. Lily shook her head as she smiled.

"It's not a big deal. We just rescheduled, Travis is an understanding guy."

'_Unlike someone I know.' _

"Well, I owe you one, how about that?" Sue asked with a smile as Lily chuckled. The black haired woman chuckled as she nodded her head, heading toward the exit.

"Sounds like a deal," she stated. She waved a goodbye to the three before heading out to the front of the club. She sighed to herself as she shook her head. Pulling her phone out, Lily unlocked it and released a small sigh as she read a short, but lighthearted text message.

'_You owe me dinner,' _she read to herself as her eyes softened. She shook her head and shut her phone, deciding to send another apology later. As she pushed the swinging doors to the club open, Lily did her best to dodge the flashing lights of the media; she didn't like the attention very much. She stopped, after passing the large crowd, and rolled her eyes as she watched Johnny fail at swaying the female Captain. She smirked slightly, feeling a bit at ease, though she hated herself for it.

"Wow, you just walked away," the Human Torch mumbled as he helplessly watched Frankie climb into the large black car. He gave himself a weak smile as he continued to talk to himself. "And I'm definitely still talking."

"Wow. Johnny Storm gets denied by a woman." Said hero looked over his shoulder and shook his head as he gave Lily a defeated smile. "That's must be strange for you."

"As a matter of fact, it is," Johnny stated. Lily shook her head as she stood beside the lonely man. The young man glanced over at the silent woman as he kept his hands in his pockets. He watched as Lily continued to ignore him, which he always hated when she did that, and decided to break the silence.

"So, I'm guessing your date with Troy was ruined?"

"It's Travis. And thanks to that General, yes, it was," Lily snapped slightly as she looked over to see a rather satisfied look on Johnny's face. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, waving for a taxi. As the yellow vehicle pulled up, the woman climbed in, but was shocked as her companion joined her.

"Johnny-"

"Central Park, good sir."

"What are you-"

"Well, seeing as your date failed, and I was unsuccessful at finding anyone." Lily scoffed as she crossed her arms. "I thought we might at least try to enjoy the rest of the night," Johnny stated with a smile. Lily thought for a moment as she let things reel in her head.

She could say yes, but she knew if she did she would only be digging her grave deeper. Lily was always the type of person to look at her options and take the most logical route. By saying yes to Johnny's offer, she knew that it would only hurt her, yet for some strange reason she couldn't find the nerve to say no. Something inside of her kept pushing, kept hoping that if she stuck around long enough Johnny would finally come around.

"…I'm actually going to go back, I'm tired after all of this nonsense." Not wanting to get her hopes up, Lily stepped out from her taxi and quickly waved for another one, not waiting for Johnny to respond. If she stayed with him any longer she would surely fall under his spell. "I'll see you later."

Not having time to stop her, Johnny watched helplessly as his friend quickly climbed into the yellow vehicle, not sparing him even a glance. He watched with his blue eyes as Lily spoke to the driver, and sped away. He sat in his taxi-the driver too nervous after that to say anything-dateless and friendless, and sighed to himself. He kicked the back of the passenger seat as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Damn it, Lily."

It didn't bother Johnny that Officer Raye had rejected him so rudely-well maybe a little-and it didn't bother him that he had not found anyone at Reed's party that was _worthy _enough for him. It was the fact that his best friend, or someone he had thought to be his best friend, was doing a damn good job with avoiding him. What had he done wrong? It was as if he was either plagued with a deadly illness or just plagued with bad luck. Either way, Johnny ended up screwed over.

"…Well, that's just great," Johnny snapped quietly as he stared in the direction of Lily's cab. "What a good night."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three: Between the Lines_

The sound of an ear-wrenching drill overcame the silence of the night as a feeble looking man stood on a ladder in order to help his current companion. No words had been exchanged between the two except for what the weaker man's job was. He did as he was told, afraid if he were to disobey his commands his consequences would be dire.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, the man's work had been finished. Pulling his goggles off to get a better glance at his work, his eyes widened and in a matter of milliseconds, his life had ended. The murderer of his savior took a slow breath and released it, savoring that very moment of his freedom. He smirked to himself as his metal mask fell to the floor, the sound of his soon-to-be victory echoing in his ears.

"Hn, it's time."

* * *

'_This isn't right. I need the other microchip.' _

A sigh filled the air as a pair of brown eyes kept their focus on the task set before them. A lone hero stood on the large balcony of the Baxter building, hoping it would stay that way.

"Hey, what are you doin' out here?" a gruff voice called out, surprising the scientist just a bit.

"Nothing, I'm just getting some air," the flexible man stated as he looked up at the stars in his failed attempt to make it seem as though he were actually outside to do what he had said he was doing. His knowing friend shook his rock-like head as he approached Mr. Fantastic.

"You're buildin' that machine for the general, aren't you?" Reed looked away, turning half of his attention to his work, the other half staying on The Thing. "I'm guessing Susie doesn't know anything about it?" A terrified look suddenly appeared on Reed's face as he turned around giving his best friend a pleading gaze.

"Don't worry," Ben assured. "My lips are sealed…well, they would be if I had any," he said jokingly as Reed smiled, nodding his head.

Turning back to his work, the fiancé of the Invisible Woman glanced over his shoulder, one more favor ringing out in his head. "Could we just keep this between us? I just don't want to tell Johnny," he stated.

Before Ben could reply, the two looked over to the balcony edge, the sound of flames roaring through the night filling their ears. Reed frowned, his cover being blown.

"Don't tell Johnny what?" said boy-like man asked as he landed safely on the concrete of the balcony. He sported the new Fantastic Four suit, which was rather ridiculous yet fitting on the young man.

As he approached the two older males, he glanced over at the large satellite behind reed and he smirked a bit as a playful expression came across his face. "Are you building that thing?" Johnny asked as Reed shook his head, though he could not actually lie and say no. The younger man of the three shook his head as he walked up to the two. "If Sue finds out you're gonna get an invisible kick in the nuts," he joked as he chuckled a bit.

Ben stopped the boy from going any further as he gave the boy the best sincere gaze he could make with his stone like eyebrows. "We're gonna keep this quiet," he stated as Johnny looked over at Reed and nodded his head.

"I know."

Reed gave the two a thank you as he relaxed a bit. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Sue's rage. It was scarier than most unnatural things or criminals he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

"Does Lil know about this?" Johnny asked curiously as gave the satellite a curious gaze. Reed sighed as he nodded his head, crossing his arms.

"It was difficult to convince her, but I got her to keep quiet about this all," he explained as Johnny smirked at the thought.

"So, what did you bribe her with?"

"Heh, she gets to try out my newest toy I told you about before first."

"That's it?" Johnny asked unenthused by the offer his friend had taken. He shook his head as he stretched and made his way inside the building.

"Where's she at, anyway?" Johnny asked curiously as Reed and Ben looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.

"I don't know, actually," the scientist said as he thought for a second. "She might be in her room."

"If not-"

"I got it," Johnny stated as he waved a thank you and goodbye to his teammates and friends. Deciding that the night was still young, though it was already plenty past one in the morning, the flamethrower made his way to his room to quickly change. Then he would find his favorite source of entertainment.

* * *

The darkness of the night seeped through windows of the Baxter building's pool room, though the lights shielded the only person in the water from the abyss. The room was silent with the exception of the sound of ripples running through the water.

Tide, or rather, Lily, took a quiet, deep breath as she kept her eyes closed. She sat on a platform of water in the middle of the pool, ignoring everything around her and only concentrating on the water beneath her. She had been so concentrated on her mediating she had not noticed the soft click of the glass door to the pool room.

She continued on with her relaxation method as she pictured herself on a lone beach, no signs of human life for miles and miles. She smiled to herself as she stepped into the waves of the ocean, but as she did she froze, something didn't feel right. She stared out at the blanket of water as she narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, a high pitched shriek filled the air, making Lily cringe at the sound. She quickly covered her eyes as she winced from the shrill noise. Her eyes widened as the water beneath her began to disappear, leaving nothing but dried up sand. The scream continued before it became too much for the young woman to handle.

Her eyes snapped opened and she gasped as her once strong platform exploded, causing her to fall into the pool, massive waves forming from the minor explosion. Lily, out of reflex, quickly began to thrash in the water, the current stronger than she had anticipated. She gasped, receiving no air, but water instead. She squeezed her eyes shut as a burning sensation filled her lung, her nose filling with water. Suddenly, a hand firmly grabbed her own, pulling her as quickly as it could. She coughed loudly as she tried to get rid of the water she had accidentally swallowed and catch her breath. She took short breaths as she tried to calm her nerves down, holding tightly to her rescuer.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell was that?"

Lily coughed a bit more as she looked up and met the gaze of a very shocked Johnny. She sighed, relieved he had come to pester her when he did.

"I-I don't know," Lily replied as she closed her eyes, leaning her head on her friend's shoulder. "…It happens when my concentration breaks from meditating," she lied as Johnny eyed her warily.

"I think you're done for the night," Johnny stated as he waddled to the edge of the pool, holding Lily along for the short lived swim. He pulled himself out of the water, Lily following next, and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her shoulders. He'd deal with his soaking self later.

"Thanks for all of this," Lily mumbled as she and her teammate walked out of the pool room and toward the elevator.

"It's my job."

"What?"

"To clean up after you when you screw up," Johnny said playfully as Lily rolled her eyes, a small smile appearing on her face. She glanced up at Johnny as he walked up to the elevator doors, pressing the up button. She tightened her grip on her towel as she looked away, her heart beating faster than she wanted it to.

"Hey." Lily quickly looked over at the Human Torch as the doors to the elevator slid open for the two. "You sure you're ok?" he asked, noticing the woman's strange behavior. He watched as Lily forced a smile on to her face, nodding her head.

"I'm fine, just really surprised I freaked out like that," she explained. "I usually have really good control over my abilities."

"Well, not everyone can be like me," Johnny said playfully with a smirk as his friend rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"You mean, not everyone's a bonehead or moron."

"Excuse me. I find those words to be really hurtful," he retorted back as Lily laughed, a wide smile on her face.

She hated the fact that Johnny could make her feel so good, no matter what the situation.

The young man relaxed as he rode the rest of the elevator ride in silence, his companion also doing the same thing. He would sneak quick glances ever so often, making sure that his friend was alright.

Was now a good time? Was he pushing too far?

"Hey," he started as Lily looked over at Johnny. "Seriously, is there something wrong?"

"I already told you-"

"I'm not just talking about today," Johnny interrupted, surprising the young lady. "I'm talking about everything else," he explained.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lily denied as she placed her gaze on her reflection.

"I'm not buying that," Johnny stated as he took a step in front of Lily to catch her eyes. "You're telling me that all of your weird habits just popped up out of nowhere?"

"I don't have any weird habits!" Lily snapped as glared up at her bothersome teammate.

"Don't give me that crap," Johnny snapped back, his cool slowly disappearing and his normally playful attitude replaced with a quite serious one.

The sound of the elevator bell ringing and the metal doors opening stopped the two young adults from arguing anymore. Lily quickly walked around Johnny as she stomped out of the elevator, though Johnny was not going to let this go as easily as she had hoped.

"We're not finished here," he called out as Lily rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Look," Lily finally snapped as she stopped walking and turned around to face the surprised dirty blond. "Whatever that could hypothetically be happening would be none of your business," she stated as she gave the Human Torch a cold stare. "And if there were something going on you would be the last person I would go to."

Johnny's eyes widened at that as he stared at his best friend. He blinked as the two stood in a long moment of silence. He hadn't been expecting the cold words, and for some completely unknown reason, it felt as if someone had firmly grasped his heart and yanked it swiftly from his chest.

Lily sighed as she turned, continuing down the hall.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Johnny almost yelled as he stomped after the woman, his friendly demeanor gone.

"Exactly what I said."

"Alright, stop!" Johnny quickly walked around the black haired woman as he blocked her way to her bedroom.

"Enlighten me on something," he began. "At first I was hoping I was imagining it, but I can't keep telling myself that I'm just being delusional anymore," he said. "You and me, we aren't like we used to be. Why is that?"

Lily had been baffled for the first time in a really long time. She hadn't been expecting Johnny to say something her, let alone almost yell at her. She had been so wrapped up in trying to avoid too much contact with the fire bender that she hadn't taken the time to notice that the young man had caught on to her antics.

"I don't-"

"I'm not taking 'I don't know what you're talking about' as an answer," he stated simply.

Lily averted her gaze from Johnny's piercing blue eyes, and at that moment he knew; he was right.

"Lily," he called out more softly after taking a few seconds to let his boiling blood simmer down. "Come on. We used to be able to talk about everything, what happened to that?" he asked with a genuinely hurt gaze.

Lily, taken back by Johnny's sincerity, avoided his eyes for her life as she stared at the well to his right. Her palms began to calm up as she did her best to hide her quivering. Her throat quickly became dry as she clenched her jaw shut. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him too much.

"…It's not you."

Johnny blinked at Lily's statement as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you-"

"It's something I have to deal with," she quietly explained as she glanced up at Johnny. "You haven't really done anything to make me act this way."

"Then why-"

"Johnny, I just…" Lily trailed off as she sighed, feeling emptier than she had ever felt before.

Johnny watched as the 24 year old woman shook her head. She began to walk away, but the flamethrower couldn't end their conversation, not like that. He quickly reached out, grabbing the woman's wrist, but as he did so his eyes widened.

"Johnny," Lily mumbled as she stared into said man's blue eyes. Her own softened, her gaze telling it all. "Please, let go."

The Human Torch, who usually always had something to say, was speechless. His hand slowly fell to his side as Lily turned, walking down the hall and turning the corner. Watching the woman disappear, Johnny stood in silence as he let his thoughts process.

What was that look about? Had he read that correctly? He couldn't have. If that were to be true then what he had seen meant…

"Damn it," the flustered flamethrower snapped. He sighed as he leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. He glanced down in Lily's direction as he thought for a moment. Perhaps he was thinking just a bit too hard. He shook his head as he stood up straight, making his way to his own room.

After entering his own bedroom, Johnny fell on to his bed in a heap, not bothering to change out of his jumpsuit. He sighed as he closed his eyes, locking his hands behind his head. He yawned and opened his eyes, sleep not being the first thing on his mind.

"…Lily…what is going on in your head?" he asked himself as he stared blankly at the ceiling. He thought, and thought, and thought some more before he groaned loudly to himself, sitting up in frustration.

"Shit," he muttered to himself as he stared around his room.

Surprisingly enough, the bedroom belonging to the Human Torch was not as destroyed as one would think. It was mildly dirty, that was a no-brainer, but it was a mess that one could clean up in a mere few minutes. The color of his walls was white, something he had always wanted to change but couldn't get around to doing, and were decorated with picture frames and posters. His mahogany desk was covered with random pieces of sheet paper, along with anonymous fan letters and clothes he had been wearing before. His laptop sat safely on his desk, away from all the scraps of paper, and all the random letters. Next to his desk sat his dresser, his beloved stereo sitting at the top.

Deciding to clear his mind, Johnny stood up and walked over to this stereo, turning on his favorite radio station. He walked back to his bed and sat for a bit, letting the music fill the silence that he could not. He sat with his feet planted on the floor, the music doing no good for him. He began to tap his foot at a rapid pace, having no say in what he body was doing at this point. He shook his head as he stood up, walking over to his personal bathroom and striping himself of his logo-infested suit. Keeping his boxers on, he walked over to his rather large closet and grabbed a pair of sweats, pulling them on and leaving his upper body exposed to anyone who wanted to see.

"Brain, this is the worst time to be overworking yourself," Johnny mumbled as he sat back down on his queen sized bed. He scratched the back of his head as he sighed, staring at absolutely nothing.

'_Stop thinking about it,' _he told himself as he closed his eyes. _'It's not a big deal. You're just getting yourself worked up over nothing,' _he said, as if he actually believed himself.

He glanced around his room and frowned.

The room that was once his haven, the room that screamed Johnny, the room that was the only place where Johnny could forget everything was failing to do anything tonight.

He laid down, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"Just forget about it," he said to himself. "You were seeing things."

Had he truly been seeing things? Johnny was known to fabricate stories and he was also known to be able to make the simplest thing turn into a big explosion, but this time around he was sure it wasn't just him. The look in Lily's eyes had been too obvious for him to miss, yet he couldn't believe that he had seen anything to begin with.

'_I swear,' _he thought to himself. _'I've seen that look a lot.' _He groaned once more as he covered his face with his hands. He turned on to his side as he stared out the window over his desk. He frowned as he let his mind work some more.

He had seen many looks in many woman before. There were far too many to name off, but the three most common expressions he had fallen upon during his time seducing women as a young adult were lustful, playful, and the last one was the one he rarely came across, but when he did, he couldn't miss it.

"Defeated."

He mostly came across women who were lustful. Sometimes they were a bit playful as well, but the least likely expression he would come across was defeated. There was only ever one reason that he'd receive that look. When he hunted his women, whether it be on a walk in the park or out in a club downtown, he had a few rules to follow. The most important rule of his book was the one he followed religiously.

'_Never tempt someone who's looking for more than what you can offer.'_

Johnny knew it himself; he was not the type to hold a long-term relationship. It just wasn't for him. So when he fell upon the very few cases where those women slipped through his barrier, women who wanted to be more than just hook ups, he had no choice but to turn them down, and although he was widely known to be a "player", the idea of having to hurt someone the way he had to just didn't bode well with him, surprisingly enough.

Perhaps that was why he was so bothered at what had just happened between him and Lily. He swore to himself that the look in his friend's eyes was the same gleam he had seen in those kind of women. But it baffled him. She hadn't said anything to him, and he had never caught that sort of feeling from Lily, so why did she look that way at him?

Why did she look as though he had broken her heart?


	4. Chapter 4

Heeelloooooo! Three years and a few months later, and here we are! I probably won't be able to say this enough but I am so TERRIBLY SORRY for not updating this story for that long. I was EXTREMELY stuck, but I was watching this movie the other day and a sudden spark lit up and now, here we are! Thank you to those who've stuck around this long for this story. I wish I could have been quicker with the update, but I'll do my best from now on I promise! I plan on finishing this story! Because after looking back, this was probably one of my favorite ones to write in all honesty. So sorry, again. But I'm back, so hopefully posting this will make up for my lack of presence.

Since it's been awhile, please don't judge too harshly on how it is. I swear, I'm doing the best I can, and hopefully it's not too bad. Leave a message or review and let me know if there's anything I need to work on or something that you like please! Since it's been so long I would especially like to know what you readers are thinking and what I can do to improve!

Thanks and sorry again!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to this movie franchise, just Lily and Travis!

* * *

_Chapter Four: A Fantastic Wedding_

She'd been up for over 24 hours.

Lily slapped her cheeks gently as she shook her head, trying to ward off the exhaustion that continued to creep up on her. She couldn't force back the yawn that escaped her mouth as she gazed down at the computer screen, glancing over at her companion.

"Reed," she called out, the sound of the scientist tinkering with his radar being her only response. "_Reed_," she tried once more, much louder than before. She smiled as her father-figure sat up from underneath the radar, his five o'clock shadow making her chuckle.

"What's wrong, Lily?"

"You _do _realize that your **wedding** is in a couple of hours, right?"

The pair had been working diligently for the past week now, not only with preparing for Reed and Sue's wedding, but building the cosmic activity radar that General Hagar had requested. Between those two tasks, the two had their work cut out for them. Being maid of honor, Lily had been running around and helping Sue with last minute tasks, and Reed followed along. He hadn't realized it until the day before the wedding, but being a groom? Much easier said than done.

Then again, it probably didn't help having the paparazzi on their tail 24/7.

Reed chuckled as he rubbed his face with a sigh, Lily smiling softly as she approached the man and took a seat beside him on the floor. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, letting the still of the early morning rest over them. The 24 year old leaned her head against the dark haired man's shoulder as he smiled and rested his own against hers.

"…You nervous?" Reed gave a soft laugh as he rubbed the back of his head in a thoughtful manner.

"Well, I guess…it all just seems a bit _surreal_."

Reed had loved Sue since the moment he had met her, even if he hadn't known it then. Never had he cared for, worried about, laughed with and felt connected with anyone like he did with Susan. She understood him in ways no other could, and she was able to deal with his strange ticks and obsessions. And when they had first broken up, the scientist had truly thought he had lost his chance. He had wasted so much time not seeing the obvious and being oblivious to his own neglect, that it had cost him his relationship. But now, it was different. Reed was a different person.

Looking over his shoulder at his nearly complete radar, a strange feeling began to grow inside of him.

Perhaps he wasn't as different as he had hoped to be.

"Alright, Mr. Groom." Lily stood to her feet as she stretched, glancing down at Reed. "I'm going to drink a few cups of coffee and then start getting ready."

"Is Travis going to be able to make it?" A wide smile appeared across Lily's face at Reed's question as he too stood up to his feet.

"As of last night he said so!" Reed smiled as he nodded. He was finally going to meet this mysterious man.

"Alright then. I'll see you in a bit." Lily nodded before she turned to Reed with a giant grin, wrapping her arms around him. He laughed as he hugged her back, holding her tightly.

"Congratulations, Reed."

"Thanks, Lily."

"And try not to stay down her too long!" the woman snapped as her mentor laughed and nodded, waving and watching her go. He stood alone for a moment before he turned to the radar and sighed.

"It's just you and me then."

* * *

It had been a busy morning for everyone that day. Although set up for the wedding had been finished, the caterer was still getting ready and people were beginning to show up for the highly anticipated "wedding of the season" as the news channels called it.

As for the wedding party members, Johnny had only just arrived with his "date", Ben already partially dressed. It always took him a bit longer to get ready, what, with his size and structure, so he had wanted to make sure that there was no delay on his part. And anyways, someone was going to have to get Reed all ready and done-up, since the man was MIA. But Ben had no worries, he knew exactly where his best friend was.

The bridesmaid and maid of honor sat in Sue's bed room, both dressed and makeup done. The women of the party had been a bit more efficient with their time and were well prepared, after all, weddings were a bit more of a feminine event. Lily sat at the small, round glass table by the window, taking a large gulp from her third cup of coffee. Alicia, who both Sue and Lily had come to love, sat on the blonde's bed as the bride herself stood by the window, gazing down at all the people waiting outside of the tower, a helicopter flying by. A grimace came over her face as the time continued to tick by, not only her nerves biting away at her, but her apprehension.

Something about all of this just didn't feel right.

"Sue?" Said woman looked to her right as she watched Lily stand to her feet with a concerned look on her face. "You ok?"

"I just…" Sue shook her head as she gazed down at her feet, arms crossed over her chest. "…Something about this just doesn't feel right."

With an understanding look on her face, Lily glanced out the window before she began to rub her friend's arm in a reassuring manner. The younger woman of the three glanced over at Alicia, and although the woman was blind, it was as if she had known Lily's gaze was on her.

"Honey, I think even superheroes are allowed to have wedding day jitters," Alicia pointed out playfully, though the tone was lost to Sue.

"It's not just that," the bride said anxiously as she quickly turned to face her other friend. "Is my life…is it always going to be a circus?" she asked sincerely as she looked over at Lily with an unsure gaze.

"Sue…"

"I mean, do we really want to raise _kids _in this?" Sue asked as she shook her head. "Face it, we're not exactly normal." And that was true. No matter how much Lily wanted to reassure the woman that everything was going to be ok, she couldn't. Because she understood all too well. With a job like theirs and abilities like theirs, a normal life was nowhere in the picture.

"…That doesn't mean you can't be happy." Sue looked over at Lily as the young woman smiled and approached her side.

"Lets be honest. You and Reed have never been _normal_. And your relationship was never easy. But that's what makes you guys so unique." Lily's gaze softened as she turned her head to stare out the window. "Even though you have your ups and downs, and even though you guys have been through some crazy and almost unrealistic things, you're still happy and you're still together." And to Lily, that was what mattered the most.

"Lily's right," Alicia nodded as Sue looked over at Ben's girlfriend. "Ben and I aren't normal. But we don't let it get in the way of us being happy." Lily smiled at that as she placed her hand on Sue's back and leaned comfortingly against the woman's shoulder.

"Do you love Reed?" Alicia asked gently, Sue nodding her head with a smile.

"More than I've ever loved anyone before."

"Than you have nothing to worry about."

Suddenly, Sue felt more like herself again, the woman nodded as she looked over at Lily and pulled her into a warm embrace. The young woman smiled gleefully as she hugged her back, pulling away after a moment and watching as Sue hugged Alicia as well.

"Thanks, you guys."

Feeling more prepared for what was to come, Sue walked over to the mirror of her room as Lily watched her and took a seat beside Alicia on the arm of the small chair. They both stiffened and jumped to their feet as the bride gasped.

"What is it?" Lily asked as the pair approached Sue's side, the woman narrowing her eyes at her own reflection.

"I have a zit." Alicia and Lily relaxed at that.

"Can't you put makeup on it?"

"No, I've got it," Sue stated as she concentrated on her zit, relief washing through her when it disappeared. "Crisis averted. Now all I have to do is concentrate on this very spot for the next eight hours."

Lily and Alicia laughed at that.

* * *

Ben had been searching for Reed when he had met him.

When he had met Travis.

The Thing had been stomping about, heading towards the lab when he had noticed someone on the phone with a rather confused look on his face. He watched him curiously for a few seconds before the stone-like man finally approached the stranger.

"You looking for someone?" The man stiffened before he looked up, a relieved gleam shining in his eyes.

"Ah! You must be Ben." Said hero blinked before he nodded, the young man standing before him holding his hand out. "I was actually looking for Lily?" And then it all clicked in Ben's head.

Reaching out and shaking his hand. Ben smiled to the best of his abilities. "So you're Travis? Heard a lot about you," Ben stated as Travis chuckled and nodded.

"Same to you. It's really nice to finally meet you," he said genuinely as Ben blinked, slightly taken aback by the man's kindness and honesty. He smiled widely as they pulled their hands away.

"Lily's actually helping Sue right now, but I've got someone who'd probably like to meet you," Ben said as he motioned for Travis to follow him. The young man hesitated before he nodded and quickly scurried along after the rock man.

Immediately, the two broke into conversation about Lily and about how they had met and about how Travis was actually a rather big fan of theirs. Ben found Travis' presence to be refreshing, the man smart and yet humble all at once. That thought made him smirk as the image of Johnny appeared in his mind. There was definitely no doubt about it.

Travis was much more bearable than Johnny.

Finally reaching the lab, the pair stopped they caught sight of a pair of feet sticking out from under the radar. Ben sighed as he shook his head, walking into the room with Travis trailing behind him.

"Hey, Reed. C'mon, you're gonna miss your own wedding." And Ben was only half-kidding about that.

Travis' eyes widened when he heard a rubber-like sound echo in the lab, Mr. Fantastic's face suddenly appearing at the top of the radar while his legs still remained stuck out at the bottom.

That really _was _fantastic.

"I know, I'm almost-who are you?" Reed blinked in a confused way as Travis quickly took a step forward, smiling.

"I'm Travis."

"Oh! Travis!" Reed smiled widely at that. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You as well."

"Ah, Mr. Carter." At his last name, Travis looked over at the screen before a serious expression came over his face. He nodded in respect at the general, the stoic man nodding back.

"General Hagar. Good to see you."

"General, I'm putting the sensor online…now!" Travis watched curiously as the scientist and the general talked amongst themselves. He glanced over at the radar as he nearly gapped. He was impressed with what Mr. Fantastic could do.

"Here comes the bride!" Ben sang, catching Travis and Reed's attention.

"Alright, that's it!" Reed smiled proudly at his work as he sighed.

Finally, he could relax a bit.

"Alright, lets get you shaved and dressed. You're getting married in an hour and you look like a bum!" Ben pointed out as Travis chuckled, watching as Reed turned to them. He stopped as a wave of realization washed over him, his eyes wide. Ben and Travis glanced at each other before they watched Reed suddenly begin to fall. Thankfully, the bigger man of the group caught him with ease.

"I'm…I'm getting married…" Ben grinned at that.

Glancing down at his feet, Reed noticed the way they had suddenly turned rubbery, giving him no support at all. He didn't seem to mind too much though as Ben began to carry him out of the lab. "I'm…getting married."

"Congratulations, by the way," Travis rang out, catching Reed's attention. The scientist blinked before he smiled sheepishly.

"So then, tell me about yourself, Travis."

* * *

There were only 20 minutes left until the wedding began. Finally, Reed had dressed himself and shaved, looking presentable for the big day. Ben had left him with Travis, the two conversing about projects they had done, and Travis explaining how he had worked briefly with General Hagar in the past.

Obviously, the general was not a big fan of many people.

As for the ladies, Lily stayed with Sue in order to help her do a bit of last minutes check-ups and touch-ups on the veil. Alicia had left and met with Ben in order to help him with his suit. They pair smiled at each other, Ben's date feeling a warmth wafting from the hero's body. Her smile brightened at that before a soft and musky scent of smoke filled her nose.

"Hey, Johnny." Said young man slapped his hand on the counter as he shook his head with a smirk. He laughed as Alicia grinned, Ben shaking his head and doing his best to fight back the smile that threatened to appear across his lips.

"Does that amaze anyone else? How did she know it was me? I didn't say anything!"

"Well, Johnny. To be honest, you kind of smell like _ash_." Ben snickered at the playful comment as Johnny rolled his eyes but continued to smile. He liked Alicia a lot, and she was nice to him, so he had no issues with her whatsoever.

Carefully placing the boutonniere on Ben's suit, the man glanced down at the sightless woman before he smirked. "Ow!" Alicia stiffened, but when she remembered the man was nearly made of stone, she pouted and slapped him gently on the chest as she scolded him, Ben merely laughed at his own joke.

And as Ben pulled Alicia close and placed a gentle kiss to her soft lips, Johnny watched silently, unsure of what he was feeling. On one hand, he was slightly grossed out, because watching anyone kiss Ben was just a bit unnerving to him, but on the other, there was a slight burning in his chest and a tugging in his gut as he stared, a small smile across his lips.

They seemed happy together.

Watching as Alicia left the kitchen, Johnny smiled as he turned his attention to Ben. The man released a sigh of contentment as he watched Alicia go. "So, seems like you and Alicia are doing well, _annoyingly so_." Ben looked over at Johnny, noticing the look on the young man's face. He shrugged it off before he smiled and nodded happily.

"Yeah. I'm a lucky guy."

"Yeah, you are," Johnny said earnestly as he glanced back after Alicia. His gaze was soft for only a moment as the sudden memory of Lily's disappointed and sad expression came to mind. He quickly cleared his throat, not wanting to remember such a sight before he turned to Ben.

"Just one question." Ben rolled his eyes at that. Whatever Johnny had to say, it usually was no good. "How do you guys um…well…" Motioning with his hands, Johnny looked at Ben, a horrified look appearing on his rocky face.

"That's none of your business!"

"Alright, relax! I'm just concerned." A completely serious expression was on Johnny's face as he began to back away. "I'd hate to wake up one morning and find out she was killed in a rock slide." And with that, Johnny was running.

"I'll show you a rock slide!"

* * *

It was dark and cold in the small room. Monitors sat perched up on the wall as a light beeping sound echoed through the room. A shadow sat in the middle, glancing from screen to screen until something finally caught his attention. The hooded man leaned forward as he froze the frame on the screen and clicked a button, the pixilated image slowly focusing.

What he saw, was a silver man on a silver board.

"…What are you?" And although he didn't know what it was, he knew that was his ticket.

That was his way to get his strength back.


	5. Chapter 5

Yeees! I would like to say that I'm here proud to have another update! I'm here and I'm here to stay, for now. Not sure how long this may or may not last, but while I'm not stuck or distracted I'm going to take this time to my advantage and get as much as I can out!

THANK YOU! Thank you to all of you guys who are still with me three years later and thank you to the new reviews! I'm sincerely happy that you all are enjoying this. You guys have really pushed me through some tough writer's block moments so thank you for that. And thanks for showing your support for this story! I really do enjoy writing, so you guys liking what I post is just a super awesome bonus! Feel free to message me or review and let me know what I can do better or what you liked. I'm still getting myself back into the flow of writing this so please don't hesitate to let me know! Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to this movie franchise, just Lily and Travis!

* * *

_Chapter Five: Wedding Crasher_

Lily was excited. The time had finally come. Reed was standing at the end of the alter and everyone was preparing to walk out. A wide smile was across her pink lips as Tide turned to Invisible Woman and grinned. The bride took a deep breath as she nodded.

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful." Staring at her former babysitter, Lily nearly teared up, though she was able to contain herself.

"I can't believe it!" the 24 year old said with a laugh. "You're about to get married, and to Reed!" That made the pair laugh. The blonde of the two sighed as she looked at Lily and smiled softly.

"Thank you for everything, Lily."

"Of course!" Hugging her tightly, Lily closed her eyes and smiled happily. "You deserve this, Sue. You're such a good person and you've loved Reed for so long." It was about time the two finally tied the knot.

Laughing, Sue nodded her head as her short veil sat over her face. "I-oh, I think someone's here to see you." Lily raised a brow as she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as a grin stretched across her lips. She glanced back at Sue as the woman winked at her before nodding, motioning for her to go ahead.

There were still a few minutes before they had to be completely ready.

"Lily! Finally found you."

"Sorry! I was really busy," the former teacher said as she motioned to Sue. "I'm glad you could make it, Travis."

"Wouldn't miss it!" the man said with a smile as he looked back at Susan, the bride smiling and waving.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

"So then, what do you think? Me and Sue planned this entire set up, with a bit of help from Reed," Lily added as her date smiled and nodded.

"It looks great. Pretty impressive, I have to say." Lily smirked at that.

"Well, I'm good like that." With a chuckle, Travis nodded before he and Lily began to make their way out to the busy audience of the wedding.

"I'll show you where to sit-" Lily stopped when her eyes fell upon Johnny, who'd just walked into the foyer. He stopped as he looked up from his cuffs, blinking as he stared at the pair. Travis raised a brow as he immediately noticed the tension, glancing from Lily to the Human Torch.

"Lils."

The woman had been wearing the same colored and styled dress as Alicia, but her black hair had been parted to the side and curled, cascading down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes were bright and matched the dress seemingly well and her lips were a light shade of pink, nearly shining in the light.

Needless to say, Johnny thought she looked nice.

"Johnny! Um," Pulling Travis forward, Lily smiled as she pat Travis' back. "This is Travis. Travis, this is Johnny."

"Nice to meet you," Travis said with a friendly smile as he held his hand out. "I've got to say, I'm a huge fun of the way you just burst into flame," he said as Johnny smirked, nodding his head.

"Always nice to meet the fans." He glanced at Lily as the young woman kept her eyes glued to Travis, doing her best to ignore the way Johnny stared at her.

"I've heard a lot about you," Travis added as Johnny forced a smile across his lips.

"You too."

"As much as the media likes to show you two bickering, Lily only ever has nice things to say about you." That caught Johnny off guard as he turned his head to Lily, the maid of honor clearing her throat and smiling as she began to pull Travis away.

"Lets get you to your seat, yeah?"

"Sure thing." Looking over his shoulder as Lily began to usher him towards the rows of chairs, Travis smiled one last time.

"Nice to meet you."

"Yeah…" Johnny's smile faded as he sighed. "You too…"

He was a nice guy. Not only that, but he was a good-looking, nice guy. And the way he and Lily complimented each other when they stood side by side was great. Except it wasn't great at all. It made Johnny's skin crawl, and when Lily's hands were on him, it made his insides burn. And although he was accustomed to the feeling of being on fire, there was something unnatural about the way he felt when he watched the pair. And he couldn't quite understand it.

Deciding to ignore it all, Johnny turned and grabbed a champagne glass from the table against the wall as he began to pour himself a glass. God knows, he needed it. He glanced over his shoulder and watched as Alicia carefully walked into the room, the florist beside her. Stopping where she needed to be, Ben's girlfriend smiled and thanked the woman beside her, the florist handing her the bouquet she needed before heading off to deal with some other situation. Taking a sniff, Alicia raised a brow.

"Johnny?" Said boy was still amazed by the way she could do that. "You know, you really shouldn't tease Ben so much." And the tone in her voice was similar to the tone Sue used on him when she chastised him about something or another.

"It was a joke."

"Hmm, I don't know," Alicia playfully shot back as the young man began to approach her side. "I think you're bothered by the fact that he's happy and in love. I think you're _jealous_."

"Jealous?" Johnny scoffed at that. He took a sip from his glass as he stood beside Alicia, staring out at the crowd. His blue eyes flickered around the landing zone turned wedding aisle before they fell on Lily, who was smiling at one of the guests and saying something. "Have you seen the women I've dated?" And although Johnny had meant to refute Alicia's earlier statement, he was a bit distracted by the way Lily's smiling face seemed to glow in the sunlight to really commit to what he was saying.

And with one short sniff, Alicia knew that Johnny's attention had been nearly stolen by the young girl (she had a very distinct smelling perfume, in Alicia's opinion).

"…You can only fool yourself for so long, Torch." Johnny stared at Alicia's profile before he looked ahead, Lily approaching the pair with a deep breath.

"So! Are we ready?"

"Yeah, we are!" The three looked over to the hallway and watched as Ben with Sue on his arm came from around the corner. Wide smiles came across their faces as the bride smiled back at them bashfully.

"Hey! It's the bride of stretchy man." Sue laughed at that.

"Don't start."

"Nah, don't listen to him. You look gorgeous," Ben assured as Sue turned and smiled at him with a nod.

"Alright, lets get going," Ben stated as he approached Alicia, who wore a happy grin on her face. "We're on."

Lily watched as the pair began to make their way down the aisle, the orchestra playing a sweet melody as they walked. She then pulled herself away from the distraction as she glanced over at Johnny and Sue, the siblings sharing a moment with one another. She smiled before turning and grabbing her bouquet from the table behind her. As she reached for it, her eyes widened as a sharp pain began to shoot through her temples. She cringed as she held her head, squeezing her eyes shut while doing so.

It was the same pain she always felt. The pain she had felt before when she had been meditating. And the same pain from her dreams. Except, now there was no escaping the pain. Another surge of pain shot through her head as Lily leaned over the table and winced, keeping her eyes tightly shut. Her body stiffened as the shrill scream echoed in her ears, her chest clenching around her heart. With a few deep breaths, the pain began to subside, though it had left Lily completely shaken and trembling.

"Hey." Standing up straight, the maid of honor cleared her throat as she held tightly to her flowers, Johnny looking at her with a curious stare. He frowned at the way his friend shook before he took another step closer to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Lily lied as she smiled, gaining all of her composure back. "Just a little excited that this is finally happening."

"Well, you know what they say. Fourth time's the charm." Lily giggled at the joke before she looped her arm into Johnny's, the brother of the bride guiding his partner down the aisle. He gave his sister one last glance as the bride looked back to him and smiled happily.

Turning his attention ahead, Johnny watched as Ben and Alicia separated and stood at their designated spots by the alter. He and Lily then began to walk slowly down the aisle together as cameras flashed at them, people murmuring with smiles.

"So," Johnny whispered as Lily glanced over at him. "That's the guy you've been seeing." Rolling her eyes, Lily smiled as she glanced over at Travis, who smiled back at her.

"That's him."

"Not what I imagined."

"What did you imagine?"

"That he'd be…fatter…and older." Lily shot a bite-less glare at Johnny as he smirked at her before the pair began to approach the end of their walk.

"He seems like a good guy."

"He is," Lily assured as the pair stopped at the end, staring at each other. Johnny's gaze softened as he reached down and gave Lily's hands a squeeze before he smiled.

"He's a lucky guy."

Lily's eyes widened as Johnny's fingers slipped from hers before he took his spot beside Ben. The 24 year old quickly gained her composure and shuffled over to Alicia's left side. She did her best to keep her eyes straying to Johnny as her heart fluttered in her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment before she smiled and nodded to herself.

Today was about Reed and Sue.

Suddenly, the wedding march began to play as everyone turned, Sue standing at the top of the small staircase. Her blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight as she held her bouquet tightly in her hands. Her gaze fell on Reed as the scientist stared back at her with an awestruck look on his face. He began to smile as she smiled happily back at him before carefully walking down the steps and making her way back to him.

The path always led back to him.

She was probably the most beautiful woman Reed had ever seen in his entire life (other than maybe his mother, Reed loved his mother). Mr. Fantastic was sure that his heart would burst if it beat any faster. He couldn't tear his gaze away from his future wife as she strolled closer and closer to him. Every other thought, every other concern Reed had was forgotten at the sight of Sue's smile.

Finally, they were getting married.

Stopping beside her groom, Susan tried to contain her excitement. Reed grinned before he and his bride turned to the officiator of the wedding. He began to speak, gaining everyone's attention, but not after he said two words did a beeping sound suddenly erupt, interrupting the ceremony. Lily blinked as her brows furrowed inward, Ben and Johnny raising a brow and looking to Reed. The groom mentally berated himself as he quickly pulled the palm pilot out from his suit jacket, a horrified look appearing on Sue's face.

"I can't believe you brought that to our wedding!"

"I know, but there's good reason," Reed explained as he glanced down at the screen.

Something was coming.

"Could we perhaps hurry this up a bit?" Reed asked anxiously, Lily shaking her head with a sigh as Johnny frowned, Ben grimacing, and the same thought crossed their minds: Reed was an idiot.

Before Sue could quietly scold her future husband, Reed's palm pilot began to flicker, the screen going on the fritz and quickly shutting off on its own. A sudden eerie feeling fell over the crowd as the breeze began to pick up. A low humming sound was carried through the air, chills running down Lily's back as she slowly looked up to the sky. Her eyes widened as the helicopter hovering over the wedding ceremony began to lose control, jerking in every which direction. The crowd began to panic, people getting up from their seats and running in order to take cover. Reed quickly took a few steps forward as he looked around the city, all the power shorting out.

"It's too late."

The helicopter began to zoom towards the building as screams filled the air. Having no control, the pilots began to panic as they hit the building, skidding against the ground. Acting quickly, Reed noticed a pair of adults standing in shock as the helicopter began to rush towards them. He stretched his arms out and quickly pulled them away from the wreckage, Sue then running up and placing a shield up in order to keep the copter from hurting anyone else.

"Hold on, Alicia!" Lily yelled over the wind as she grabbed the woman's wrist and began to run away from the copter, Ben quickly rushing forward and holding the tail-end of the copter and breaking it off. Holding the woman by her shoulders, Lily smiled.

"Are you ok?"

"Y-Yeah," Alicia assured before Lily nodded and carefully sat her away from trouble. She then turned, but as she did so, time seemed to move slowly. Her eyes widened as a shining blur appeared in the sky, flying over head. She stared long and hard for a moment before her head began to spin, the dull ache returning quickly. She stumbled back a few steps as she lost her footing, her eyes shut tightly. Her legs gave out from underneath her as she began to fall, not before someone caught her.

"Whoa, I've got you." Lily leaned back against a pair of sturdy arms as they held her gently and carefully. She kept her eyes shut but leaned into the body holding her close, the heat exerted from the man all too familiar.

"Johnny?"

"Yeah, it's ok. I've got you," he assured as he held her, looking up at the sky and watching as the silver figure flew through the air. He then looked to Reed, who looked to him, both wearing a knowing look.

"Johnny."

"But…this is dolce…" Reed rolled his eyes as Johnny sighed, looking down at Lily. He frowned as the woman in his arms blinked a few times before she looked up at him. He hesitated before a hand clasped his shoulder, catching his attention.

"I'll take care of her." Johnny tried not to stiffen as Travis smiled down at him before kneeling down and helping Lily sit up. Tide looked at her teammate as she nodded, Johnny nodding back before he stood to his feet and shook his head. He began to sprint towards the edge before he dived through the air.

"Flame on!" So long, Dolce.

Looking around, the ceremony had been completely ruined. The chair as been torn apart and the aisle had been blown away. The flowers withered away and were knocked messily to the ground, everyone slowly coming out from their cover. Their eyes glanced around until everyone stared down at the bride, who sat at the alter with tears streaming down her face. She quivered as she quietly sobbed to herself before a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. Though comforted by the touch, Sue continued to cry, Reed holding her close before sighing and closing his eyes.

So it seemed their wedding would be postponed once more.

* * *

Johnny definitely had a bone to pick with whoever or whatever this thing was.

One, his sister's wedding had been completely ruined.

Two, his _very _expensive suit had been completely destroyed.

And three, well, he didn't have a three, but that didn't seem to matter to him too much.

Flying after this stranger, Johnny pushed himself to keep up. He shook his head as he trailed a little behind. His eyes widened as he watched the strange silver being fly right through the building, not breaking a single window or brick. Scoffing, he flew around the skyscraper and waited for the being to emerge from the inside. His eyes widened as he watched it appear through the wall, leaving a ripple effect, almost like he was moving through water.

"That is cool." Gasping, Johnny quickly moved aside as the silver man flew right past him, leaving him in shock for a moment. Not wanting to waste any more time, Johnny flew after him without hesitation.

The chase continued on for a bit, the two suddenly flying out of New York in into D.C. Though Johnny had always wanted to visit, the circumstances weren't _quite _what he had imagined. Although it was a chase, Johnny almost viewed it as a race. His blood rushed through his veins and his adrenaline was pumping as he flew faster and faster. They flew over the city before the Human Torch shook his head.

"Time to end this." Having prepared to attack, Johnny hadn't been expecting the man-like creature to suddenly turn and grab him by the neck. He gasped as he choked, giving his target a sheepish smile.

"Can we talk?" He cringed as he felt the hand squeeze tightly around his neck. Suddenly, they were flying through the air, but they were going up. The clouds flew past Johnny (or maybe it was him flying past the clouds) as the silver creature held him tightly. Reaching the outer layer of the Earth, Johnny could feel his lungs burn, his flames blowing out and a sudden wave of coldness coming over him. His body began to grow lax as he grew sleepier and sleepier, no strength left in his body.

"Ok…you…win…" And with that, Johnny was fall back through the Earth's atmosphere.

The intruder stared after the young man as he watched silently. His gaze was hard, but not empty. He watched for a second longer before he turned around and stared out at the stars. One shined the brightest out of the batch, catching the creature's attention. His gaze hardened as a chill ran through his already cold body before he knelt down on the board he used to travel.

"Your herald summons you," his low voice echoed in the emptiness of space. "Another world awaits," he said as he bowed and let his head hang low.

"Let it be done, quickly."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, hello :) I'm here with an update! Very proud that I'm keeping this up (seeing as there was a three-year hiatus before this ^_^;) Thanks a million for reading and reviewing! You guys are awesome and I just hope that you continue to like this story! Let me know what you think, and I hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to this movie franchise, just Lily and Travis!

* * *

_Chapter Six: A Switcheroo _

"He looked like a man, but he was completely covered in silver."

Johnny had returned after his unsuccessful chase after whatever was causing the anomalies, and although he had returned unscathed, there was something wrong. He wasn't quite himself. His body tingled and his head was spinning. His heart continued to race and there was an unsettling feeling in his gut that he couldn't quite shake. And although he put on a brave face, his teammates knew there was something off about him.

"He was flying this…this surfboard type thing. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw," he stated as he gazed up at his friends, General Hager now at the scene.

"So, did you follow the shiny man to lollipop land through rainbow junction?" Ben teased as Johnny shot him a cold stare.

"I know what I saw."

"It's alright, Johnny," Reed assured as he gave the younger man a nod.

Everyone sat inside the lab, Reed staring at the radar that was melted and destroyed, a silver ooze remaining. Ben and Lily stood side-by-side as Susan sat beside her brother, handing him a glass of water. He nodded a thanks to his older sister as he drank from the glass, though he still couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in his gut.

"Whatever this thing's physical appearance is, it has the ability to convert matter and energy."

"So then, _it _caused the anomalies," Hagar pointed out as Reed nodded, though there was an unsure look on his face.

"It seems to radiate cosmic energy when it exerts itself, randomly effecting matter," Reed explained as everyone listened carefully. "Evidently, this entity this…Silver Surfer." Johnny looked up with a grateful stare as Reed gave him a ghost of a smile before looking back at the general. "It didn't want to be detected…it destroyed the sensor."

"It…It knew it was being monitored?" Sue asked incredulously as Reed nodded.

"And it traced it back here." Turning to Hagar, the two nodded to each other, for once not loathing the other's presence. "We're dealing with something **highly **resourceful."

Having heard enough, Johnny winced as he stood to his feet, the strange sensation in his body still bothering him. Ben and Lily exchanged glances at they looked back to the young man, Sue staring up at her brother with concern evident on her face.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she inquired worriedly as Johnny nodded his head.

"Yeah, I just have to walk this off," he stated before walking off, everyone staring after him. Lily frowned as she stared at his back before she looked over at Sue. She smiled before giving Ben a pat on the back and walking after her companion without another word.

"We have to destroy this thing before it attacks again," Hagar said as Reed nodded is head, looking at Ben and Sue. They two nodded in return, understanding the severity of the situation before the general caught their attention once more. "Richards, find me another way of tracking it." Without waiting for a reply, the general began to walk away, his captain following right behind him. Reed sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, Sue standing to her feet as she gave her fiancé a stern stare before following the general out to politely say goodbye. The scientist shook his head before he glanced at Ben, the stone man giving his friend a sympathetic stare before walking off to give the couple a bit of time alone.

'_Sue…'_

* * *

Lily stood quietly as she leaned against the doorframe that led out to the terrace. She watched as Johnny stared out at the city, sighing as he ran his fingers through his dirty blond hair. She gave his back a soft smile before she began to approach his side, standing beside him and leaning against the stone railing. He didn't say a thing as he looked over at her before looking back out, a rather stoic look on his face (which was rather unlike him). The black haired woman frowned at his expression before she leaned her head forward a bit to get a better look at him.

"You ok?"

"Yeah…I'm just…" Johnny didn't finish his sentence as he placed his hands on the ledge and leaned down, taking a deep breath. Lily frowned as she turned her body to face him completely.

"Johnny…what happened?" she asked as her friend shook his head.

"I don't know how to explain it," he said quietly, which startled Lily. He wasn't himself. He was normally so confident and unafraid of the world. But the Johnny standing beside her was different. He was unnerved and shaken. And it caught her off guard.

"Johnny…" Lily trailed off as she slowly reached out to pat his back. Before she could, she jumped and pulled her hand away as the young man took a deep breath and took several steps away from the ledge.

"Johnny, what are you doing?" Lily asked apprehensively as the Human Torch ignored her question, a determined expression on his face. Her eyes widened as he sprinted and dived over the edge.

"FLAME ON!"

"Johnny!" Lily cried out as she leaned over the edge to watch him. A bewildered look came over Tide as she watched intently. Instead of soaring through the air like he normally did, Johnny flames flickered weakly. He couldn't seem to actually fly like he could, but he could at least slow his fall.

Fear overwhelming her, Lily ran back inside as she began to scream for Johnny's older sister. "Sue!" she yelled frantically as she sprinted through the halls before stopping to see Susan rush toward the window, Johnny falling past.

"Sue!" Lily quickly ran up to the blonde as she grabbed her wrist and tugged her along, her companion not bothering to fight back as she followed her friend. The two sprinted as quickly as they could, not bothering to wait for the elevator. Once they reached the entrance of the Baxter building, they quickly shoved the doors open and ran outside, Johnny on the ground and groaning.

"Johnny?" Sue and Lily quickly approached the young man's side as he panted, leaning against a light post in order to keep his balance. He frowned to himself as he shook his head, glancing up at the sky.

He still couldn't gain back his control.

"What the hell was that, Johnny?" Lily snapped as she stood beside Sue with a flustered look.

"I'm feeling really strange, ever since my run-in with the surfer," Johnny muttered as he shook his head, looking up at his sister and friend. The two women frowned at him, Sue giving him a reassuring smile.

"Maybe we should get you-" As Susan reached up and placed the back of her hand against Johnny's forehead, her eyes widened as a sudden jolt coursed through her body. Johnny gasped as a similar sensation ran through him, causing him to take a step back from his sister's touch. Lily blinked as she stared at the two, her hazel eyes widening when Sue's body slowly began to be engulfed by flames.

"S-Sue!" Lily sputtered as she took a step back, motioning for the crowd that had formed around them to step away as well.

"Johnny! Why'd you do that?!" Sue snapped as she began to try and pat the flames off of her body. A sudden surge of energy rushed through her veins as her entire body morphed into fire. She began to scream out of shock and fear as she tried to put the flames out, this overwhelming heat consuming her.

"I didn't do anything!" Johnny defended as he looked to Lily, the young woman looking at him for only a moment before turning her full attention to Susan. The two gapped as she began to float, having no control over herself.

"Sue! You have to calm down!" Lily called out as the woman continued to scream helplessly, her clothes burned away and her body now flipping through the air.

"How am I supposed to calm down?!" she shrieked back as she began to scream more.

"Sue! Stop, drop and roll!" Johnny yelled as Lily shot him a look.

"Do something! You idiot!" she yelled as Johnny quickly looked up.

"Flame on!" Instead of bursting into flames as he always did, he suddenly disappeared, causing Lily to choke. She gasped as she stared with wide eyes, Johnny blinking as he realized he hadn't moved a single inch.

"What-" He winced as a stranger bumped into his shoulder, another suddenly pushing him to the ground as he walked by.

"Watch it-ow!" Johnny yelped out in pain as someone tripped over him and fell, Lily staring with no words to say.

"Lily! What the hell is going on?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she snapped as she looked back up at Sue, who was screaming continuously.

Meanwhile, Reed had been feeling a bit troubled as he stared down at the coordinates of each of the craters created by the Silver Surfer. He stopped for a moment as he frowned, remembering the defeated look on Sue's face. A pool of guilt began to form inside of him as he walked through the living room, vaguely hearing a familiar voice screaming his name. He stopped for a second before he slowly back-tracked, his eyes immediately widening as he stared at Sue through the window.

"Sue!" he yelled as he rushed up to the glass, her entire body covered in flames as she tried to control herself. "What happened!"

"I'm on fire!" she screeched as Reed stared with a confused and amazed stare.

"You're on fire!"

"YOU THINK?!" Sue screamed angrily as she jerked upward. Reed stuttered before he quickly turned and began to run out, dropping his palm pilot as he did so. Sue began to scream again as she started falling, still aflame. Hovering over the concrete once more, Sue flailed about, people mistaking her for Johnny himself.

"It's the Human Torch!"

"No! That's not him!" Lily tried her best to diffuse the situation, Johnny still invisible to everyone else.

"Johnny! What did you do to her?" Lily yelled as the invisible man frantically shook his head.

"I'm telling you, I don't know!"

"Where the hell are you?" Lily snapped as she began to reach out to find him. "We have to-" And then she remembered, before Sue and Johnny switched abilities, she had touched him.

Pulling her hand away, Lily stepped back from the empty space. "Johnny don't touch me!"

"What?" Feeling almost offended, Johnny looked at Lily with a perplexed stare (not that she could see it) as his friend shook her head.

"No! I mean-"

"Sue!" Looking over her shoulder, Lily watched as Reed ran outside. He stopped beside Lily as he looked up at Sue with a flabbergasted emotion. "How did this happen?"

"It was Johnny!" Lily exclaimed as she grabbed Reed and pointed to the invisible spot beside him. "They somehow switched powers." Reed blinked, completely and utterly taken aback as he stared at the emptiness beside him before he looked back up at Sue.

"I touched him, and now **this**!" Sue snapped as Reed looked to where Johnny would be.

"Johnny! Try it again!" Reed instructed as said boy nodded to himself before reaching up and grabbing a hold of his sister's wrist. Everyone watched with shock, the same surge of energy shooting through Sue and Johnny before he reappeared and the flames around Sue were doused out. She hit the ground with a thud as she winced, whispers and murmurs filling the air.

"Sue!" Reed quickly approached the woman's side as she groaned and looked around, cameras flashing. "Your clothes…" Eyes wide, Susan looked up before she forced herself to turn invisible.

"Why is it _always_ me?"

* * *

The Fantastic Five sat in the lab, Mr. Fantastic staring down at the data he had collected from Johnny. Sue, now fully dressed in a red blouse and a black skirt, stared intently at her future husband as he stared down at Johnny's molecules with an amazed stare.

"All of Sue's results are normal, but Johnny's…" Reed trailed off, still rather intrigued by what he was looking at. Lily looked at her teammate beside her as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Johnny's are _what_?" Reed looked up as he tried to hide his rather excited and interested smile from the young man.

"Your encounter with the surfer has effected your molecules. They're in a constant state of flux," he began to explain as Johnny frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. He waited for Reed to continue, but the man's fascination took over, Johnny rolling his eyes before he forced a smile across his lips.

"Is that bad?"

"Well, it did cause you to temporarily switch powers with Sue," Reed pointed out as he began to type some numbers into his computer. "Ideally, I would like to run some more tests-" Ben, smirking to himself as he sipped on a slurpee he had bought before the debacle with the Storm siblings, took a few steps towards Johnny as he reached his stony hand towards him.

"I volunteer!"

"No, no, no!" Everyone quickly gathered around the two, Johnny scooting far back against the counter as he reeled himself away from Ben's hand.

"Ben!" Johnny snapped as said man rolled his eyes and took one step back. "This is serious!"

"I just wanted to give him a hug." Lily couldn't stop herself from smiling at Ben's antics as she looked over at Johnny. She reflexively raised her hand to give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, but stopped and quickly pulled away as she smiled weakly at him, the young man sighing and shaking his head.

"We don't know the extent of his condition yet!"

"It could be progressive, it could be degenerative-"

"It could be just fine," Ben added before he quickly reached out and placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder. A strange sensation shot through the two as Lily quickly backed away, Ben feeling an overwhelming heat swallow him for only a second. He quickly stumbled back as he began to pat away the flames, his skin suddenly soft and white. Everyone stared at Ben with wide eyes as he blinked several times before laughing and grinning.

"It's me! I'm me again!" he exclaimed as Lily stared with wide eyes and a smile. Her happy expression faltered for a second before she slowly looked to her right.

"If Ben is…then Johnny's…" The four looked back to the Human Torch, the hero now bulky and orange. His skin was cracked and hard, and his shirt was officially stretched out.

He wasn't going to be able to wear that one again.

"What…" Quickly turning, Johnny grabbed the first reflective object he could find before he stared at himself. He nearly screamed at his own reflection as he stared a moment longer at himself.

"Oh my GOD!" Looking up at Ben, the man smirked as he snapped his fingers, a small flame appearing at the tip of his index finger. Lily choked before she burst into laughter, leaning against Ben as he grinned and laughed along with her. Johnny glared at the pair as they continued to laugh, Sue and Reed merely staring out of shock and a _small _amount of entertainment.

"You look so ridiculous!" Lily pointed out between her fits of laughter as Ben nodded and tried much harder than Lily to contain his laughter.

Having felt that the two had had enough fun, Reed stepped in front of Johnny, giving him a reassuring stare. "I'm going to fix this. I-" A small fireball hit Johnny in the side of his face, causing Reed to stumble back and cover his own face for a moment before Ben grinned, Lily falling into yet another fit of laughter.

"Lily! This isn't funny!" Reed snapped, though it was hard for him not to smile. Sue frowned as she looked over at Ben, the man wearing an amused expression.

"Ben! Stop that!" the blonde snapped as the now normal Ben nodded in approval.

"I can see why you like that so much." Having had enough, a determined gleam shined in Johnny's blue eyes as he quickly stomped up to Ben, said man shaking his head.

"Wait!" Lily quickly escaped to the side as she stood beside Reed and watched as the two switched back to the way things originally had been. Ben frowned as he stared down at him, back to his stony exterior. He pouted like a child as he huffed.

"Crap."

"So now what am I supposed to do?" Johnny snapped helplessly as everyone calmed down, Reed shrugging.

"For now, just try and keep your distance from us," he stated, a frustrated look twisting Johnny's face before he stomped off. The four stared after him before they exchanged looked, Ben finally looking back at Johnny.

"You and me are gonna be spending _a lot _of time together, buddy!"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the movie franchise, just Lily and Travis!

* * *

_Chapter Seven: The Silver Surfer_

He had finally found him. Although Greenland was a bit of ways away from Latveria, he had been willing to make the trek.

After all, he was going to need the strange silver man for his future plans.

A helicopter flew over snow and ice, and as it soared through the air, the pilot glanced down at the pit below. A vast darkness settled down deep within the crater as the helicopter veered to the right and safely landed a bit away from the edge of the crater.

A cloaked figure carefully walked across the snowy plain as a high pitched whistling sound echoed through the emptiness of the mountains. Stopping at the edge, the shadow waited patiently before a shining entity appeared, floating upon a silver board. Though a hood covered his face, a smirk was ever present across the person's lips.

"You've been busy, my friend." The Silver Surfer said nothing in return, merely staring intensely at the cloaked man. "Your talents are _impressive_." There was a strange darkness that lingered over the cloaked man. Though the Silver Surfer didn't say it aloud, he knew that this human was dangerous, for he was not like the others.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" The only response the man received was a silent nod.

"Together…we could be unstoppable." That made the Surfer stiffen as he narrowed his eyes at the human. The sun reflected off of his shiny exterior as the clouds and the sky did as well. The two stood quietly as the cloaked man opened his arms in what was to be a welcoming manner.

"…All that you know, is at an end." The Silver Surfer watched as the man shook his head from under his hood.

"What do you mean by that?" Not answering, the foreign entity turned and began to float away, not before the hidden man lost his patience.

"Wait!" The man was ignored, which successfully awakened the anger inside of him. "I said WAIT!" Holding his hands out, a spark of electricity shot out and hit the back of the Surfer's back. The silver figure stopped before it swiftly turned around, a cold expression on his face. The cloaked man took a step back out of apprehension as he watched as a wave of energy ran up the Silver Surfer, staring from his board. A burst of energy hit the man as he flew back, the alien force merely watching before turning and flying away.

Groaning, the hidden man slowly sat up from the snow he had landed on as he winced. He blinked as he felt a sudden burst of power and energy course through him before he lifted his hand up from the snow and smirked to himself. He watched as the scarring on his hand began to heal before he laughed.

Yes, things were going exactly as he had planned.

* * *

"_How's everything going?" _

"Well, it could be better." Lily sighed as she held her cell phone to her ear, adjusting her jeans as she straightened out her off-the-shoulder shirt.

Having finished doing a bit of yoga and meditation, Lily had showered and changed out of her sweats, her nearly dried hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. After getting dressed, Travis had gave her a ring, checking up on her after the whole fiasco of the wedding. Since things had gotten so messy and hectic, the brunet had opted for leaving and contacting her later so she could have some time to figure out what was going on and to help Sue. He didn't bother asking about her near-fainting episode, because in the end, he knew he'd get nothing out of her.

"_How's Susan holding up?" _Travis asked from his line on the phone as Lily walked out of her room.

"She's doing well. There were a few…_hiccups_ but I think she's fine now," Lily stated with a chuckle as she remembered the vivid image of Sue on fire, floating half-hazardously in the air.

"But before I forget, I'm probably not going to be able to see you for a few days." The black haired woman always hated canceling on Travis, but with everything that had been going on and with what was to probably come, Lily had a feeling that her schedule would be pretty jam-packed.

"_That's alright. I understand," _Travis replied back reassuringly as Lily smiled.

Turning the corner, Tide came to an abrupt halt as she blinked, Johnny stopping and looking back at her. Judging by the displeased look on his face, Lily knew there was something wrong with the young man. He didn't bother saying anything as he walked around her, confusing her even more.

"Johnny!" Lily frowned before she turned her attention back to Travis.

"Sorry, Travis. I have to go." At the sound of Johnny's name from Lily's end, the young man tried not to frown.

Travis remembered the tension between the two. He remembered the way Johnny looked at Lily, and he remembered the way Johnny looked at him, like he was nothing but a nuisance. He tried not to let it bother him at first, and at first, it really hadn't. But when the chaos had erupted at the ceremony, Travis had been bothered by the way Johnny held Lily. Although the superhero always said that Johnny was known to be a bit of a player and held no interest in a single woman for more than a few days, Travis had a feeling in the pit of his gut that Lily was wrong.

Because the way Johnny looked at her? It was as if no one else in the world had mattered to him in that moment.

"Travis?" The man snapped out of his thoughts as he cleared his throat and nodded his head.

"_Alright. I'll talk to you later then." _Smiling, Lily nodded, though she knew that he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Bye."

Not wasting time, Lily quickly ran after Johnny, catching up to him with ease. He glanced over at her, an extremely unhappy expression on his face. Frowning, the former teacher reached out to hold him by the shoulder, but her eyes widened when Johnny quickly ducked away from her touch. She blinked as he gave her an "are you an idiot" type of look before it clicked in her head. She nodded as she pulled her hand away.

"So, what's wrong?"

"Now you're talking to me?" It seemed that Johnny's sour attitude had caused him to be annoyed about _everything_.

"Really? We're going to do this now?" Lily snapped back in return as the Human Torch sighed, stopping in his tracks as he shook his head. He motioned for Lily to follow after him as he walked into entertainment room (which consisted of a workout area and a pool table with couches).

"Johnny?" Alicia was seated on the couch as Ben sat up from the bench press, Johnny huffing as he took a seat on a chair.

"They want to break the team up." That had caught Lily and Ben off guard.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked with an incredulous stare as Johnny sighed with a defeated look on his face.

"Reed and Sue. I just overheard them," Johnny explained as Ben and Lily blinked, Alicia listening carefully from her spot on the couch. "They want a nice, normal, **boring-ass** life." Alicia and Lily both scoffed at that.

"No more Fantastic Five."

Ben frowned as he looked over at Johnny. He stood to his feet as he approached his two teammates. And although he couldn't actually make the motion, he wanted to raise an eyebrow. "What do they expect us to do? Keep the team going just the three of us?"

"And what? Call ourselves the Terrific Trio?"

"When were they going to tell us?"

"They'll tell you when they're _ready_ to tell you," Alicia interjected as the three looked over at the woman. "It's they're decision, not yours," she said as Lily glanced at the two boys.

"You can't be mad at them for doing what makes them happy." Ben and Johnny shared a stare after Alicia's words as Lily sighed and rubbed her cheeks with her hands.

And although Lily was still a bit shocked and upset about the news, she wasn't taking it as badly as The Thing and the Human Torch were.

The moment was quickly interrupted as Reed walked into the room with an urgent look on his face. For that second, the bad news had been forgotten as the three looked over to their leader. "Guys, we've got a problem."

* * *

"I've cross-referenced the surface radiation through _every_ astronomical database," Reed explained as the five stood in front of his huge computer monitor. Images of different planets appeared on the screen, each looking uninhabitable and dry.

"He's been to all of these planets?" Ben asked curiously as Reed nodded, a stern look on his face.

"And they're all lifeless now. **Baren**. Some of them have even shattered completely." A chill ran up Lily's back as she stared at the screen intently, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Everywhere the Surfer goes, eight days later, the planet dies…" Each of the team members shared a look of fear and hesitation.

"…How are we gonna stop him? We don't even know where he is," Ben pointed out as Sue frantically searched her brain for a solution.

"What about the craters?" she suggested as Reed sighed and typed in a few numbers into the computer. Hope began to sparkle in Mr. Fantastic's eyes as he stared up at the screen, everyone following his gaze.

"They're all appearing in numerical order," Reed said with a smile. "The last crater was in Greenland so…" Trailing off, the scientist began to type in more letters and numbers before he stopped and waited for the computer to process the information Reed had pulled up. His eyes widened as he read the coordinates out loud before he looked at his friends and family.

"Sue, I need you to get General Hagar on the phone **now**."

* * *

Everyone was suited up and ready to go. General Hagar and his few men were to arrive on the helipad in just a few minutes, which gave the team time to prep and plan. Although things seemed normal, there was a stiffness in the air, mostly coming from Johnny. He stared at Reed and Sue as he scoffed and crossed his arms, watching as the two walked away from the three, talking to themselves.

"You still upset?" Johnny looked to his left as Lily sat beside him with a curious look on her face. The dirty blond shrugged and turned away, pouting like a child. His friend rolled her eyes at his behavior as she sighed.

"Why do I feel like I'm the only who's extremely unhappy about this?" Johnny asked as Lily shrugged.

"You're not. But Alicia was right," Lily pointed out as Johnny finally looked over at her and met her hazel eyes. "If they're going to be happy then we should let them do what they need to do."

"And what about us?" Johnny inquired bitterly as Lily frowned. "What the hell are we supposed to do then?" Before Lily could answer, the wind began to pick up as a helicopter loomed over everyone's head. Johnny and Lily exchanged looks, and the young woman was sure to give him the kind of stare that told him they weren't finished talking.

The five quickly gathered into the copter, buckling up and heading off as quickly as possible. The general had been updated on everything that Reed had discovered, and as quickly as possible, everyone was carried to the Surfer's next location.

London.

* * *

"Alright, when he surfaces we have to make sure to keep the fight away from the people!" Reed called out as he looked down, the helicopter arriving at their destination.

"He's too fast for that. If I see Silver I'm going after him," Johnny called out as Reed frowned, Lily and Ben exchanging looks.

This wasn't going to go well.

"You can't do that, Johnny. You have to stick to the plan and work as a team."

"Oh, so _now _we're a team." Lily closed her eyes and sighed as Sue and Reed glanced at one another.

"Of course we are. What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Johnny shot back as realization came over the couple. Sue frowned at her brother as Reed gave him a sympathetic stare.

"Look, we were going to tell you guys-"

"When?" Johnny snapped from the front seat of the copter. "When you guys moved your stuff out of the Baxter building?"

"Johnny, this isn't really a good time," Sue pointed out as Ben shrugged, jumping into the argument.

"The kid's got a point," he said, surprising Sue and Reed. Never had Ben sided with Johnny before. "You should've told us." Hagar glanced from teammate to teammate as Lily sighed, her patience wearing thin.

"Johnny, stop trying to start a fight with everyone."

"Hey! Don't yell at me like I'm the only one who feels this way. Ben agrees with me too!" Lily rolled her eyes as Johnny looked back at her. "As much as you pretend to be their perfect little helper, you can't act like this doesn't bother you either!"

"Alright, enough!" Reed snapped, as he quickly put out the fight that was quickly forming between the two youngsters of the team. "We'll talk about all of this later."

Hagar shook his head as he shot an unimpressed stare at Reed. "What the hell is wrong with you people?" Having nothing to say, Reed merely looked out the window as the copter slowly lowered towards the water.

"Alright, Lily. You're up."

"Right." Lily stood to her feet as she carefully made her way to the side entrance of the copter. She glanced back at Reed and Sue and smiled before she looked at Ben, the stone-like man giving her confident smirk. Her eyes finally landed on Johnny, who looked back at her with a cold stare before she glared back at him, not wasting another second. She pushed herself off from the helicopter and jumped out, everyone watching intently as she began to fall to the ground.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sue asked as Reed nodded his head.

"Lily's the only one who's going to be able to get close enough to the Surfer when he emerges from the crater. We need her to hold him off," he said as the blonde hesitantly looked out the window and watched as Lily continued to fall towards the water.

'_Ok, Lily. You can do this,' _Tide said to herself as she took a deep breath and began to concentrate. She could feel the inside of her body tingle as her fall began to slow, the air whipping past her relaxing.

Though she couldn't fly like Johnny, Lily had been teaching herself to be able to have more control over body in the air. After her first encounter with Doom, she wanted to make sure nothing like nearly falling to her death ever happened again.

Carefully, Lily began to slowly catch herself before her feet touched the water, a smirk spreading across her lips as she stayed afloat. She glanced over her shoulder as the people of London stared out at her with awe and confusion.

"_Lily, you alright down there?" _Lily smiled at Reed's voice as she pressed her finger to the ear piece she was wearing.

"I-" Before she could answer, the black haired woman's eyes widened as a shrill scream filled her ears. She gasped as she cringed, bending over and holding her head in pain. She choked as she fell to one knee, shuttering at the burning in her body. She cried out as a stab of pain shot through her temple, the screaming continuing.

"What's going on down there?" Sue called out as the helicopter began to land, Reed grimacing at the sound of Lily's scream from the other end.

"Reed, what's happening?" Ben asked as the copter safely landed, Johnny quickly jumping out. The rest of the team followed as Reed turned to the others.

"Something's wrong with Lily."

Said woman cringed in pain before she began to get a hold of her senses. Her eyes widened as the water beneath her feet began to move, small waves nearly knocking her off her feet. She blinked as she held her head but forced herself to stand to her feet. Her hazel eyes widened as she watched the water slowly began to sink, the crater forming. She yelled out as a surge of power and wind erupted from the crater, the ground cracking and the structures around the crater slowly crumbling.

"Reed!" Lily called out as she quickly began to run up towards the crater's edge. "You guys need to get here fast!"

The ground began to shift, the Ferris Wheel beside the bridge slowly destabilizing. The wheel broke from its hinges as the people inside the cars began to scream out. Lily's eyes widened as she stopped and looked back at the wheel slowly tipping over towards the water. Before the wheel fell any further, an invisible force held it in place, Tide's eyes falling on Susan. She smiled from the relief she felt as the blonde held her ground, pushing against the wheel. Ben quickly joined her as he used all of his strength to help Sue hold the wheel up.

"_Don't worry, Lily. We've got this," _Lily heard Reed say reassuringly as the woman nodded before turning her full attention to the crater. Her eyes widened as the water slowly began to sink, the scream growing louder in her head. She winced but ignored the pain as she quickly ran up to the crater's edge, doing her best to stay on her feet. Her eyes widened when a shiny figure flew out from the crater. It stopped for a moment as it hovered over Lily's head, and the woman narrowed her eyes as she watched intently.

'_Alright Silver Surfer,' _she said to herself as she held her aching head with her left hand, her right hand pulled back before she swung it in front of herself and to the left. A large sheet of water rose as it encircled the two of them, trapping the Surfer with Lily.

"You're not going anywhere!" Tide shouted out as the Silver Surfer stared down at her. It stared at her for a moment before it began to rise further into the air, but before it could escape from her tornado of water, Lily lifted her hand up, a layer of water covering the top and entrapping the Surfer completely.

Reed watched intently from the side as he kept his arms stretched and around the Ferris Wheel. He glanced over at the civilians as they quickly climbed out of the cars. He then looked to Sue and Ben as they held their ground, Johnny standing and staring fervently at the cyclone of water.

'_Lily…' _

"Who are you!" Lily stared up at the Silver Surfer as he said nothing. He merely floated on his board as she narrowed her eyes, glancing down at the water continued to disappear. She grimaced as she quickly looked up, surprised to see the Surfer had suddenly appeared in front of her. She stiffened as her tornado of water began to wither away. The Silver entity stared deeply into her eyes, almost as if it was searching her soul. She said nothing as she hesitantly took a step towards him, the Silver Surfer unwavering at her approach.

The other Fantastic Five members continued to evacuate the area, Reed's eyes widened as the water all disappeared, Lily now standing in front of the Surfer on the dirt. Johnny's eyes widened as he jerked forward, but waited for Lily's next move.

"Lily!" Reed called out, though his voice was unnoticed by the young woman. She merely stared at the Surfer as he stared back at her before her eyes widened, his hand suddenly gently gripping her head.

"Lily!" Johnny shouted as he began to run towards his teammate.

"Johnny, wait!" Reed yelled out as he watched the young man run towards his friend.

Everything was happening quickly around Lily. Her head was spinning and there was a deep voice bellowing out in her mind. The ground beneath her began to shake as her knees grew weak, the dull ache in her head sharpening with each passing second. Colors flashed before her eyes as the voice continued to resound in her mind.

_Another world awaits. Your herald summons you._ It continued to repeat in Lily's mind until her eyes rolled to the back of her head, everything suddenly going black.

"LILY!" Johnny screamed as Ben looked over his shoulder and watched the young girl hit the ground. The Silver Surfer acted quickly as he stared for a moment longer at the young woman before soaring through the sky. The Human Torch grit his teeth before he leaped into the air, bursting into flames and flying after the Surfer.

"Johnny, no!" Reed warned as he watched helplessly, the younger Storm bumping into Sue's force field and knocking into Reed's arm. Without warning, Reed's arms began to withdraw and reel back to their normal length, the wheel losing its balance. Ben and Sue cringed as the load grew heavier, the blonde wincing as she pushed as hard as she could.

"Guys! What's going on!" she yelled out as Johnny's arms began to expand, his body hitting the ground but nothing getting damaged. He splattered on to the ground like silly putty as Reed hovered in the sky as he thought on his feet. He glanced over at Lily's motionless body on the ground, making sure to remember her before he looked down to The Thing.

"Ben! Lift it higher!" he yelled as said man took a deep breath. He pushed as much as his body would let him as he lifted the base of the wheel over his head, giving Reed just what he needed. The scientist glanced down at his flaming hands before he shrugged, shooting out fire from his finger tips and watching (slightly amazed) as he melded the wheel back to it's base. Sue and Ben both relaxed as the weight of the wheel rose from their shoulders.

With a sigh, Reed slowly and carefully dropped to the ground before he ran towards Johnny and pressed his hand against his shoulder. Running by, Reed did his best to ignore the slight jolt that washed through him, Johnny stiffening at the feeling before he carefully sat up and stood to his feet. He quickly followed after Reed, the older man quickly stretching his arm out to Lily's unconscious form. His hand expanded as he carefully grabbed the young woman and safely pulled her back to the sidewalk, lying her gently on the ground before he then helped a wavering Susan to her feet.

"You guys alright?" Ben called out as Reed nodded, Susan closing her eyes and leaning against the man's shoulder. Johnny quickly approached their side as he knelt down to a knee and went to reach out for Lily.

"Don't touch her!" Reed snapped, causing Johnny to quickly pull away as he looked up. Reed shot him a glare as he held tightly to Susan. "Just stay right there, before you cause anymore trouble." Johnny closed his eyes as he sighed, a guilt building up inside of him as he then looked down at Lily.

"Ben, could you?"

"Sure thing." The bulky man carefully scooped Lily up into his arms, Susan gaining a bit of her strength back as she stood on her own. Reed smiled at her as she smiled back at him before looking at Lily with a frown.

"Guys?" The three looked over at Ben as he stared out at the crater, his jaw hanging slightly ajar. "Look…" Everyone stared, having nothing else to say as they stared at the abyss in the ground. They quietly gazed for a few more seconds before Reed closed his eyes and looked off in the direction the Silver Surfer had escaped too.

It wouldn't be too long until he struck again.

* * *

Let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


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